


Young Avengers: Till the End of Time

by PrinceofSpaceGays5



Series: Young Avengers Assemble [4]
Category: Marvel Cinematic Universe, Young Avengers (Comics)
Genre: Alien Invasion, Bi Love, Character Death, Dirty Talk, F/M, Gay Love, M/M, Multi, Polyamory, Secret Invasion (Marvel), Some slurs, Young Avengers In The MCU, gay wedding, implied sex, referenced nudity, shape-shifting
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-02-06
Updated: 2020-03-14
Packaged: 2021-02-27 21:55:36
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 6
Words: 42,147
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22582897
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/PrinceofSpaceGays5/pseuds/PrinceofSpaceGays5
Summary: Years after defeating the Nephilim Moridun, the Young Avengers know a peaceful life while anticipating an impending Skrull invasion. Meanwhile, they prepare to celebrate Billy and Teddy's wedding alongside their friends and family.However, as the happy couple prepares to celebrate domestic bliss, Queen Veranke initiates the invasion. With the support of the Super Skrull Kl'rt and the mysterious Kang, Earth quickly falls as the Young Avengers lose all their allies.Is it too late to avenge the Earth? Or do the Young Avengers have what it takes to save everyone?
Relationships: Kate Bishop/Noh-Varr/Tommy Shepherd, Teddy Altman/Billy Kaplan
Series: Young Avengers Assemble [4]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1537639
Comments: 18
Kudos: 20





	1. Let's Have a Kiki

**Author's Note:**

> Howdy! Welcome to part four and the grande finale of Young Avengers Assemble. I'm glad y'all stuck with me all this time. And I hope you enjoy the crazy shenanigans that are coming.
> 
> Song choice: "Let's Have a Kiki" by the Scissor Sisters.
> 
> P.S., while the Mutants are part of this universe, I do hope you enjoy the little tribute to a very special Mutant, hunty.

Chapter 1: Let’s Have a Kiki

With almost two years gone, life changed tremendously for Tommy Maximoff as it did for the rest of the Young Avengers. He was living the domestic life with his girlfriend Kate and his boyfriend Noh. They moved into Kate’s old apartment, which was plenty big enough for the three of them. Their poly relationship worked very well for them. They experienced no significant hiccups assigned from standard things like Tommy forgetting to unload the dishwasher, Kate not cleaning her hair from the shower drain, and Noh leaving his sweaty gym clothes everywhere.

Tommy finished combing through his silver hair in the hall mirror. He fixed the collar of his shirt before popping a couple of extra buttons to show off the cleavage. He still looked very lean, but he gained a little muscle over the years.

Noh came up behind Tommy. He left his vest completely unbuttoned to show his abs. He wrapped his arms around Tommy’s waist and gently bit his neck. “Happy birthday, stud.”

Tommy softly moaned as Noh licked the spot he bit. “That’s the twelveth time you said that today.”

“I’m just really happy for you.” Noh kissed Tommy’s neck while pulling him closer. “Today’s your special day. It’s a shame you have to share it with your brother though. Especially so close to the wedding.”

“I know. The last thing I want is more competition.” Tommy slipped free from Noh’s grip and gave him a gentle kiss. “You look good, stud. Are you wearing the cologne Kate bought?”

“Of course. I know how much it turns you both on.”

Tommy and Noh started to kiss again when they heard the clacking of heels. “Stop smooching, and tell me I’m pretty.”

Kate leaned against the doorway with a smile. Her tight, silver dress hugged every inch of her body with her turning to reveal it was backless. “What do you think, boys?”

Noh wagged his tongue as he slowly strutted towards Kate. “Someone’s got her freakum dress on.” He easily lifted Kate into his arms, with the two sharing a kiss.

“Damn right, Noh.” Kate giggled as Noh carried her back to the ground. She flicked her curls over her shoulder to reveal a tiny, silver strap that held the dress up. “Now, what does the birthday boy think?”

Tommy licked his lips. He sauntered over to Kate and leaned his lips very close to hers. “I can’t wait to take it off later tonight.” He kissed her gently.

Kate glided her hand from his belly button to his pecs. “You will. But only after the party.” She turned away to grab her clutch and phone from the end table. “Now, let’s get going. We got a lot of celebrating to fit in one night and so little time. Everyone is at the girls’ place, and they’re pre-gaming without us.”

Cassie, Riri, and America lived together in Williamsburg, and they so graciously offered to host the party. Aside from their place, the only other option was Eli, Nate, and Amadeus’ home, but it was too much of a disaster for them. Billy and Teddy couldn’t host since they were living with Wanda, while Kamala was still at her parents’ place, and Loki was bouncing from New York to New Asgard.

Noh nodded as he took Tommy’s hand as they made their way out the door. “That’s right. We gotta celebrate our special boy and his brother’s birthday on top of having the joint-bachelor party.” 

“Tonight is going to be really fun.” Tommy slammed the door behind them, which locked on its own. “I can’t wait to see what kind of trouble we get into.”

*~*

In Williamsburg, the pre-game party was well underway. 

America grabbed a bottle of tequila from the liquor shelf. Her pink romper looked fantastic on her and made her dark-skin stand out. She popped the cork and took a swig just as Teddy and Amadeus got pushed onto the counter with their shirts opened to reveal their abs. “Oh, we doing those kinds of shots?” America passed the tequila over to Eli to start pouring the shots.

“Hell yeah.” Eli poured a couple. His arms looked extra beefy in his tight shirt. “You got us the good tequila, America.”

“Only the best to kiki with the besties.”

Kamala circled around, taking pictures. She kept it more straightforward as she wore a black, lacey shirt and skinny jeans, mostly because she didn’t want to risk her parents seeing her wear something more provocative than that. “Oh, I so wish I could Livestream this.”

“Then, we’d all get in trouble for the underage drinking.” Noh passed Kamala a shot.

“Okay!” Cassie applauded. Her white dress swayed with her every step while she stood beside Nate, who kept it simple too in a fitted polo and skinny jeans. Cassie’s excitement was genuinely infectious, but Nate bore a solemn smile on his face. Not that anyone noticed as they got swept up in the excitement too. “The birthday boys go first! And just to make it interesting, we’re going to swap!”

Loki tore his lips away from his whiskey as he sat sandwiched between Kate and Riri. He wore a pair of tiny shorts with a crop-top with “Low-Key” written across the front. “A swap? What kind are you proposing, Ms. Lang?”

“The fun kind.” Cassie winked over at Loki. “So, Tommy, you’re doing shots off Teddy. And Billy, Amadeus is yours.”

Tommy laughed. “Wow! You’re getting me uncomfortably close with my future brother-in-law. Are you cool with it, Biー”

Cheering roared across the apartment as Billy already went in for the kill. He licked the salt from around Amadeus’ belly button then took his shot before bitting on the lime.

Billy licked the last bit of liquor from his lips before it stained his transparent, mesh shirt. “Catch up, big bro.”

“Ah!” Amadeus rolled up from the table. His green muscles flexing as he tried to roll his t-shirt back on, but Eli stopped him. “Your brother is a freak, Tommy. Are you going to let him outshine you like that?”

“No way!” Tommy licked the salt around Teddy’s belly button then slammed his shot before bitting the lime. “Be careful, Billy. I might steal your man before the big day.”

Teddy rolled up from the table with his pink shirt rolling off his broad shoulders. He stayed in his Earthling-disguise to keep control of his mass so that the counter didn’t break from their combined weight. “That would never happen, babe.”

“I know, babe,” said Billy. “I trust you.”

“Cute.” Riri strutted across the kitchen in her green dress to get a second dose of vodka. She took the bottle of orange juice that was next to Nate too for a splash of extra flavor. “We’re going to get in a mess of trouble tonight, aren’t we?” 

Nate raised his eyebrows as he hadn’t realized that Riri was talking to him. “What? Oh, yeah. A lot of trouble.”

The party continued around them as Kate walked over and started to rub Nate’s back. “You okay, Nate? You’ve been acting odd the last couple of weeks. Is it some future trouble?”

“No. It’s not that.” Nate scratched his head. Even though it was future trouble, but it wasn’t like he could disclose any of it. He needed to think of another excuse though, one to convince him that things were okay with him. “I guess I’m just feeling anxious. We haven’t found out anything new about the Dard’van in ages. I’m just worried that they’ll try something soon.”

“If they do, we’ll be ready.” Riri fixed Nate a glass too, which she quickly passed to him. “I’ve been running plenty of simulations with J.O.N.A.S., so we’re not unprepared. Just try to enjoy ourselves today. For Billy and Tommy.”

Nate smiled as he took the glass. “For Billy and Tommy.”

*~*

As the Young Avengers started their night of celebrations, across the galaxy, trouble brewed.

The Dard’van fleet crossed into the Milky Way Galaxy over a year ago. While they were in no rush to initiate their invasion of Earth, they continued to plunder resources from other worlds as they continued to gather valuable information on Earth’s Mightiest Heroes.

On the bridge of the Dard’van’s flagship, Tarnax II, stood the Earthling, Kang. 

Kang brought a glass of green liquor to his lips, savoring its bitter taste. He stared at the monitors to review the vital signs of everyone that the Skrull agents abducted, including some of the Avengers. He took another sip as he leaned over a Skrull’s shoulders to review the data.

“What of that one? Are we sure he won’t bring us much trouble?” asked Kang.

“The containment unit is completely functional, Master Kang,” said the Skrull. “However, we haven’t tried to cage someone of his elevated power.”

Kang nodded. It was an unfortunate variable they hadn’t considered. They captured a grand prize, but that prize would be tricky to imprison. “I want someone to monitor his unit then constantly. We cannot take any risks. Not when the invasion is so close.”

“Understood.”

Kang turned back just as Kl’rt arrived at the bridge with two other Super Skrulls joining him. “Ah! My friend, how are you today?”

Kl’rt huffed. “Why have you called me this time, Kang? I am busy organizing the last of the invasion. Unless it is something of grave importance, I’d rather be left unbothered.”

“Of course. I just wanted to give a progress report on my containment units.” Kang pointed over to the monitors. “Things are looking well. And our operatives are in full control of their powers, while their true memories lay dormant. We can initiate the invasion protocols at any minute. All we need is the queen’s command.”

Kl’rt reviewed the data and slowly nodded his head. “I see. This is good news. I’ll be sure to pass the word along to Queen Veranke with my next report.”

Kang bowed. “I live to impress.”

“So you say.” Kl’rt stared at Kang for a long while. “Why are you here, Kang? I don’t understand why you’re turning against your own people. Or just how you knew to approach us after the abomination and his allies repelled our attack.”

“Doubting my sincerity?” Kang clicked his tongue as he shook his head. “While I certainly have my agenda, just know that they are aligned with your queen’s plans. There is something of value to me on Earth, and I’m equally as invested in preventing Prince Dorrek’s rise to power. The hybrid is a threat to me too.”

Kl’rt knew better than to trust a man as strange as Kang but knew he was in no position to remove Kang from his position. Since his arrival, Kang wormed his way in becoming the left-hand of Queen Veranke. Any assault upon Kang was an assault upon the queen.

“Fine,” said Kl’rt. “I’ll trust you, for now, but give me even the slightest reason to doubt youー”

“And you’ll punish me,” Kang spoke in a mocking tone. “Don’t worry, Super Skrull. Everything will work out just perfectly. The future is already set in stone.” Kang hid a dangerous smirk behind his glass as he stared at the monitor as it showed an image of Earth.

*~*

Blissfully unaware of the impending invasion, the Young Avengers spent their night partying at West Village. They hopped around from club to club to make the most of their night.

And of course, everywhere they went, they got plenty of attention. With the world knowing most of the Young Avengers’ civilian identities, it was nearly impossible for them to avoid a crowd. It was even harder considering that everyone knew it was Billy and Tommy’s birthday.

The popularity worked to their advantage, though. Billy and Tommy got plenty of free drinks, which proved a bit of a problem. Billy constantly had to cast spells on himself to avoid getting completely drunk, while Tommy’s speedster metabolism meant he couldn’t get enough liquor in him before his body neutralized it.

Still, they had a wicked good time that night, as did their friends.

The bass shook the walls as the music got everyone dancing. The strobe lights rotated in every direction to illuminate the crowd of bodies. And plenty of go-go boys danced in cages, shaking their asses in the skimpiest underwear possible.

A bit away from the group, America’s tongue was down the throat of a Black woman with blue-hair. They had their hands all over each other. They forgot where they were and instead lost in desire.

Eventually, they pulled away for air. The blue-haired woman smiled as she held onto America’s arms. “I’ve never made out with a superhero before. And you’re a really good kisser.”

America smirked. “Thanks. What’s your name?”

“Ramone.” And before America could introduce herself, Ramone started to make out with her again.

Across from them, Cassie tried to get Nate to dance. He was looking a little stiff, and she was doing everything in her power to get him to move. 

Cassie rolled her eyes as she tugged onto Nate’s arms. “Come on, Nate! Today is supposed to be a fun night. Let loose a little. Get white girl crazy.”

Nate chuckled. “White girl crazy? Is that like white girl drunk?”

“Yes, but sober. Or do you need another shot?” Cassie pointed to the bar where a big bear of a man was sucking liquor from a twink’s belly button. “I could get you a shot.”

“A world of no.” Nate started to sway to the beat. “I can do it sans liquor.”

Cassie kept dancing with him. “That’s the spirit!”

Meanwhile, Noh wanted to be the center of attention. He climbed onto one of the stages to join the go-go boys. He kept his pants on, sort of, but he had no trouble ditching his shirt and showing off everything to a cheering crowd. He would unzip his pants and lower them just enough to show some of his ass but wouldn’t go any further than teasing the crowd.

Kate grabbed Noh’s discarded shirt before it got lost. “My boyfriend’s over-inflated ego, ladies and gays!”

Eli passed a drink over to Kate. “You chose to date boys with silver hair. You took the boyfriend twin thing to a new level.” 

“Cheers.” Kate clunk glasses with Eli as they continued to watch Noh make a fool of himself.

As Noh acted like the attention-seeker that he was, Loki snatched a shot from a passing bar server. He slammed it back before instantly refilling it to take another round. 

Like Tommy, it wasn’t easy for Loki to get drunk. His Frost Giant physiology ensured that it would take something far stronger than Midgar liquors had to offer to get him properly drunk. Still, he enjoyed seeing everyone make a fool of himself.

“Hey, handsome.” A muscular man stood next to Loki. “Care to dance.”

Loki placed a finger on the man’s lips. “You couldn’t handle my moves, darling. Now, go be a good boy and get me a stronger drink.” Loki winked at the man. Green sparks flicked from his eyes to seduce the man into doing just that.

Kamala punched Loki in the ribs. “What did we say about mind-controlling people? You’re a Young Avenger now, not a villain.”

“Ow!” Loki rubbed his side. “Use your words, not your fists.”

“You’re lucky I caught you and not Amadeus.”

Loki turned his head to find Amadeus and Riri dancing in their own circle with a crowd of people joining them. In particular, a bunch of muscular men scowled as they looked at Amadeus. Amadeus’ Hulk body placed an impossible obstacle for them to overcome as they could never get “swole” enough to look like Amadeus.

Loki gulped as he had flashbacks of Banner. He flicked his wrist to release the man from his spell. “I really hate Hulks.”

Kamala chuckled as she patted Loki’s back. “They’re not fond of you either.”

Away from everyone, Billy and Teddy danced close together. They rubbed their hips against each other to match the beat of the music. Their hands rubbing against each other much like their hips.

Tommy passed by them after coming back from the restroom. He covered his eyes when he saw Billy noticed him while sticking his tongue out, pretending to be disgusted. Billy could only roll his eyes.

Cheers echoed across the club with the light rotating to the main stage. A dark-skinned drag queen entered the stage with his green hair swaying as he was dressed in a yellow bodysuit with a black “X” on the back. He cracked his fan as he stared out at the crowd.

“Hello, my lovelies! I am your emcee for the evening, SHAAAAADE!” He cracked the fan again. “That’s right, lovelies, Ms. Shade is here to bring the house down. And we are in a special treat tonight because we have a killer show with some killer queens backstage. And I don’t mean the cut-throat bitches you see on _RuPaul’s Drag Race_.”

The crowd howled with laughter as Shade pretended to look as though he said something truly outrageous.

Shade licked his green lipstick. “Anywhoooo. Before we get to our show, I wanted to take the time to bring some very special guests to the stage. All you messy twinks in the audience have blown up social media with news that we got birthday boys in the house. And not just any birthday boys either. No, ma’am. These are New York’s favorite sons. You, basic bitches, probably know them as the Scarlet Son and Quicksilver. Now, I know you, boys, are out there, so you better bring those tight asses to this stage! Come on up, Billy and Tommy Maximoff!”

Without any other choice, Billy and Tommy made their way to the stage with cheers and screams from everyone in the club. They shook their heads but were all smiles as the spotlight was on them. Shade hugged them before bringing them to the center stage. 

Shade gagged as he turned to look at Billy and Tommy. “Oh, to be a skinny, white bitch. I’m too thick like my mama and Lizzo to be caught dead in those outfits.” Billy and Tommy laughed along with the crowd as Shade kept going at them. “Now, boys, a little birdie told me it’s your twenty-first today. And by birdie, I mean those Twitter bitches.”

“It is,” laughed Tommy.

Shade wrapped his arm around Tommy’s shoulder. “Okay, sweetie. So we gonna do some shots together.” He turned to Billy. “I can’t touch you because I know you’re about to be a married, Christan woman.” 

Billy and Tommy pointed at each other. “We’re Jewish.”

“L’chaim!” said Shade. “A married, Jewish woman. Speaking of marriage, where is that gorgeous fiance of yours?”

Billy pointed Teddy out in the crowd. “There he is. We decided to make this our bachelor party too.”

“And you chose to celebrate in this shithole?” Shade rolled his eyes. Then Shade waved his fan at Teddy. “Big boy, you better get your ass up on this stage too. We’ll do a pre-wedding shot too. We celebrating everything tonight. Are one of you pregnant too? We’ll take a shot for the baby.”

Teddy got on the stage just as a go-go boy joined them with a tray of shots. Shade took a shot with the others doing the same.

Shade had his eyes on Teddy next. “Before we do our thing, can you show us your real face, princey? Um...what’s your new codename again? Skrull Boy?”

Teddy grinned as he shifted into his Skrull form with the sudden change in mass miraculously not ripping his clothes. “I’m actually just sticking with my given-name, Dorrek.”

Shade whistled. “Well, that’s a sexy trick, Dorrek. Ahem, can you shift into anyone? Like Thor?”

Teddy shifted his body again as he took the form of Thor Odinson. “Verily.”

“Oh, hell, yes!” Shade left his shot with Tommy then took Teddy’s hand as he turned to Billy. “Sorry, bitch, but your man is mine now.” The two didn’t make it far before Shade turned back to free Teddy. “I’m joking! Don’t hurt me, Harry Potter. I’m scared of what your spooky ass can do.” Shad took the shot back from Tommy. “For real. Let’s wish these boys a very happy birthday.”

Everyone sang happy birthday to Billy and Tommy with them finally taking the shot at the end of the song. Shade applauded them as he gave them all a hug and a kiss.

Shade blew a kiss to Billy and Teddy as they were about to leave the stage. “And may you two have a very happy marriage. You guys. Hell, your whole team is an inspiration to us. Y’all are kicking ass and being queer and living your best lives! And that’s what we’re going to do tonight.”

Shade started the show with the music coming back as more go-go dancers strutted across the stage to keep the night going strong.

*~*

Late at night, Pepper Potts sat on the sofa with a book at the lakehouse. She nodded along while reading through it before finally closing it. Her eyes glanced at the clock to find that it was time.

Pepper went upstairs and peeked into Morgan’s bedroom to find her deep asleep. It brought a warm smile to Pepper’s face as she left.

She quietly left the house and walked into Tony’s old workshed. Most of the equipment was left as Tony last had it. The few projects he left unfinished remained unfinished. And swirling in a power container was the Rescue armor that Tony made.

One new addition to the room was a monitor hooked to a larger computer. It didn’t appear out of the ordinary, at least not at first. However, Pepper inputted a few keys that didn’t resemble any human letters.

The monitor buzzed to life as it opened an encrypted channel. 

Pepper brushed her red hair off to the sight as her appearance began to shift. Her skin turned green with her hair becoming pitch black. She breathed a sigh of relief now that she was back in her proper Skrull form after so long.

A Skrull appeared on the monitor. “How may I serve, my queen?” 

Veranke crossed her arms over her chest. “Is the fleet ready?”

“Yes, my queen. The fleet is ready. We await your command.”

“Good. Make your way to this solar system and send the last of our free operatives. Have Kl’rt and Kang make final preparations for the invasion. We have a wedding to ruin.”

“Understood, my queen. Your forces will be on standby.”

Veranke closed the channel. She took a seat on Tony’s old chair.

A smile crossed Veranke’s face. Her plan approached the point of no return as there was no need for the Dard'van to pretend any longer. It was time to initiate the invasion. She would soon have Prince Dorrek’s head and would restore the Skrull to their former glory.

*~*

The party raged until morning approached. The Young Avengers left the club as it was about to close with them debating on an afterparty. As they happily stumbled out of the club and down the street, a green bottle flew towards Teddy’s head. The bottle crashed against a wall and shattered.

Teddy and the others jumped back as they hadn’t expected such a “normal” attack.

“Alien freak!”

“Get off our planet.”

A group of men stood in the middle of the street. They wore green masks and shirts with a snake on it. They recognized the symbol as belonging to a hate group called the Sons of the Serpent. The group hated just about every they perceived as part of the liberal agenda, but there was nothing they hated more than aliens: undocumented immigrants and actual extraterrestrials. However, this batch didn’t appear that threatening other than the bottles they carried with them.

Another one of the men threw a bottle at Teddy again only for red sparks to hold the bottle in midair.

The men stepped back as Billy walked around Teddy with his bangs swaying as bands of red magic danced across his hands.

“Billy一” Teddy tried to reach out to Billy to stop him from doing whatever he was thinking. However, Tommy grabbed him since the last thing they needed was one of them get caught up in a fight.

“Trust him,” said Tommy as he also stood in front of Noh to protect him. “Your boy’s got this.”

Loki smirked. “Give it to them, Demiurge.”

They watched while Billy grabbed the bottle. 

Billy flipped the bottle with it blinking out of existence. The men backed away for a split second. “How cute. The Sons of the Serpent want to protest outside a gay bar to pick on faggots and aliens. Don’t you have anything better to do tonight?”

“We’re protecting our homes from freaks!” said one of the men. His buddies behind him cheered, while everyone else watching groaned in disgust.

Billy didn’t appear bothered. Instead, he raised a finger to strip them of their masks. “Well, if you’re protecting your homes then you don’t need those masks. Be brave and show yourselves since you’re so tough.” Billy smirked as the men tried to scatter, but Billy wasn’t done proving his point. “Next time you decide to pick on someone, make sure that their fiance is an all-powerful witch. I could snap my fingers and erase you from existence.”

“In fact.” Billy snapped his fingers. While the men didn’t disappear, red sparks washed over their bodies. “I can track you now. I know who each and every one of you is.” The red sparks around Billy grew brighter in response, too, as his eyes went pitch black. “If you even think about bullying an alien or threatening to call I.C.E. on an immigrant or if you so much as don’t say ‘bless you’ to a trans person when they sneeze, then you’ll have to deal with my unspeakable wrath. Got it?”

The Sons of the Serpent screamed as they scattered and ran to safety.

Meanwhile, the crowd of people watching cheered Billy on.

Billy turned back to his friends with a cheeky grin. “How was that? I wasn’t too dramatic, was I? I was going for ‘angry-god,’ but I think I fucked it up.”

Loki chuckled. “Oh, no. You were adorably terrifying. I approve. Flex those godly muscles.”

Ignoring Loki, Teddy walked around Tommy to get to Billy. He took hold of Billy’s hands. “Did you put a tracking spell on them?”

“No, that was all show.” Billy squeezed Teddy’s hands. “I wanted to make sure they took me seriously though. If they were willing to attack you, then who knows what they’ve done to other people. This was the best I could do since they didn’t do anything worse.”

Teddy smiled as he kissed Billy. “Good. I don’t want you to go to the Dark Side to protect me. Actually, no Dark Side, period. Not after all the work it took to get you back from Lilith and Moridun.”

Billy kissed Teddy again. “I won’t go that dark, but I also won’t apologize for standing up for my soon-to-be hubby.”

“Quit being cute!” shouted Riri. “I’m losing my buzz. Let’s get back to drinking.”

Billy and Teddy chuckled as they ran back to the group to get the party started again.

*~*

The afterparty was a rough one. They drank more at Eli, Nate, and Amadeus’ place before everyone finally left for the night. Well, the party was only mostly over. Billy, Teddy, and Loki kept the party going at Tommy’s place. Only then did the party come to a fitting end.

Billy groaned as he stumbled from the sofa and stepped over a snoring Teddy to make his way to the kitchen.

Billy kept his head hung low as he fumbled into the fridge to grab a water bottle. He groaned when the kitchen lights came on. If his head weren’t in such agonizing pain, then he would’ve blown the lights out.

“Someone’s hungover,” Tommy spoke in a singsong tone.

“Fuck...you.”

Tommy smiled as Billy glared at him. Tommy sat on the kitchen counter with a box of bagels and donuts next to him. He already finished half a bagel when Billy came into the kitchen.

Tommy pointed across from him to the coffee pot with the scent of coffee hitting Billy’s nose. “I brewed a pot since I knew all of you would be fucked.”

Billy moaned while reaching for the coffee pot. “You’re not complete trash.” He grabbed a cup from a cabinet. He tried to do so gracefully, but his hangover proved harder for him to manage. “I can’t even zap this hangover away. Everything hurts.”

“Poor baby.” Tommy took the cup and did the pouring for Billy, so he didn’t make a mess in the kitchen. “What’s the point of being a god if you can’t get rid of a hangover?”

“None at all.”

Loki strolled in and grabbed the coffee before Billy could get it. Billy groaned as he tried in vain to hit Loki only to miss.

Tommy took mercy on Billy to pour him another cup. Tommy turned around and rolled his eyes as he threw what was left of his bagel at Loki. “Seriously? You’re going to parade around my kitchen in a thong?”

Loki took a bite from Tommy’s bagel before tossing it back at him. He stood in the kitchen with his “Low Key” crop-top, but he was without his shorts. And just as Tommy said, Loki strutted around the apartment in a thong. “What? I’m a guest. Shouldn’t a guest be comfortable?”

“Not that comfortable.” Billy took a sip from the coffee and moan. “Oh, much better.”

“Prudes.” Loki grabbed a donut too. “You wouldn’t have lasted a day at Asgard. Our orgies were almost as legendary as the ones the Olympians hosted.”

Tommy raised his eyebrows. “The Olympian gods are real?”

“Of course.” Loki grabbed the coffee. “All the gods you humans worshipped are real. Some count as gods, while others are just mortals that got their hands on tremendous power. The Olympians live in a separate dimension of magic. In fact, Thor and Hercules would fight all the time a thousand years ago.”

Billy nodded. “That sounds pretty epic. So did you hook up with any of them?”

Tommy snorted as he started to pour himself a cup of coffee. “Do you really want to know that?”

“Kind of,” said Billy.

Loki chuckled. “Indeed, I did. Let’s see there was that one time with Aphrodite at the acropolis. There was also that one time that Poseidon visited Asgard. Oh! And how I could I forget that night where I took Apollo and Hermes at the same time.”

“My god,” groaned Tommy.

“My god indeed.” Loki closed his eyes and moaned softly from the memory. “I really should ring them up. I could only imagine what they’d do with this younger body.”

Billy choked on his coffee. “On that note. I think I’m sober enough now.” He pointed at his head with sparks of red light washing over his face. He gave a gentle moan as he felt his hangover slowly dissipate. “Wonderful! Now, I can start thinking normally again. Also, Loki, you’re giving me second thoughts about allowing you to perform the ceremony.”

Loki laughed as he left the kitchen. “Too late now. I’ve already made the sacrifices, so I’m marrying you and Prince Charming.”

“Damn.” Billy leaned against the kitchen counter. “That’s what I get for asking Loki.”

“At least you got your best man to protect you.” Tommy raised his coffee.

Billy smiled as he raised his coffee too. “Yeah, I got you. Just make sure nobody fucks up my wedding.”

Tommy passed a donut over to Billy. “Don’t worry! Everything will go just fine. By the end of tomorrow, you’ll be Mr. William Maximoff...uh. What’s Teddy’s full name?”

“Dorrek VIII of House T’Ryss.” Billy sipped his coffee. “Teddy’s grandfather was a houseless warrior until he married into a noble family and became emperor. Actually, that’s too polite of a way to explain how that happened. Dorrek VII was an ass who forced Princess R’klll to marry him.”

“Lovely family history. So are you going to be Maximoff-T’Ryss or T’Ryss-Maximoff? And will Teddy change his name too?”

Billy squinted his eyes. “We haven’t decided yet. It’ll have to be the same though to show a united front with the Skrulls. They're proud people. They won’t like seeing their prince and his husband having different names.”

Tommy nodded. “Makes sense. Oh well. That can be a tomorrow problem. For today, we need to finish getting you all pretty. But first, we got brunch with mom. Finish your snack, then get ready. I’ll wake Snoring Beauty.”

“Not with a kiss.” Billy took a bite from the donut. “Only I get to kiss him.”

“Right, but I get to do shots off his abs.”

Billy threw a bagel at Tommy as he walked out of the kitchen. 


	2. Dreaming of You

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> You are all cordially invited to the wedding of Prince Dorrek/Teddy Altman and William Maximoff. I hope you enjoy it.
> 
> Song title: "Dreaming of You" by Selena.

Chapter 2: Dreaming of You

Billy sat on a chair across from a vanity. He was in a tiny chapel at New Asgard. He kept his eyes closed as Cassie finished fixing his makeup.

Today was the big day. Today, Billy would finally marry Teddy. 

Billy’s finger felt oddly empty without the familiar weight of his ring. Teddy took it back so that they could properly exchange rings during the ceremony. Billy knew that Tommy had Teddy’s ring and wouldn’t dare to lose it or else risk not just losing the man of honor privileges, but they would cease being brothers because Billy would erase Tommy from existence. It was his wedding day, and he made it abundantly clear to Tommy that he would do nothing to fuck things up. 

“Are you almost done?” Billy groaned.

“Shut up and hold still.” Cassie rubbed a bit more concealer into Billy’s skin to hide the last of the blemishes. “I’m doing all this work to make you pretty. The least you could do is behave and not turn into a bridezilla.”

Billy opened one eye to stare at Cassie.

Cassie walked over to the vanity to leave the concealer behind. She grabbed the eyeliner to apply the finishing touches onto his pretty face. “Keep those eyes closed. I don’t want to poke an eye out.”

“You know I could just magic the makeup on.” Billy kept his eyes closed as Cassie got to work on his left eye.

“It’s your wedding day. We have to go through all the trouble and frustration. It’s not fun if you just Fairy Godmother yourself to look good.” Cassie carefully started to work on his right eye. She took her time to reapply a bit more eyeliner on both eyes to make sure they were even and perfect. “Okay! I think I got it. Take a look, pretty girl.”

Billy opened his eyes and smirked from Cassie’s comment. However, a light gasp escaped his mouth as he got a good look at himself in the mirror. “Oh! Wow! Cassie, this looks good. You really should totally be a makeup artist.”

Cassie licked her lip as she started putting the makeup away into her silver bag. “Maybe I should. I gotta do something to pay for rent that’s not working in retail.” She pulled the bib she wore over her emerald, chiffon dress with emerald lace above her breasts and covering her shoulders. 

The ladies of the Young Avengers wore similar dresses as part of the wedding party as groomsmaids. As for the groomsmen, they wore a fuschia suit with a black tie and white shirt. 

As for Billy, he wore something a little different. He wore a red tuxedo with black, floral prints on over his right shoulder and left side. He finished adjusting his red bowtie to make sure that he looked perfect.

Billy felt odd at first about wearing a red suit for his wedding. He imagined wearing black, white, or even navy, but not red. However, it was a Skrull tradition for the bride, or, in this case, the bridegroom to wear red. He wasn’t about to fight over a suit color, plus, he actually liked how it turned out, especially the floral print.

Cassie swooped in beside him. She first put his kippah on his head before hooking arms with him. “Wow. You look amazing, Billy.”

“You really do.”

They looked back to find Wanda and Tommy at the doorway. Tommy wore his groomsmen suit along with a white flower over his heart to signify he was the man of honor. As for Wanda, she wore a black dress that trailed down to her ankles with a lacey, red shawl.

Wanda walked over to Billy with a big grin. She gave him a gentle kiss on the cheek. “My. You look so handsome, William.” 

“Thanks, mom.”

Tommy, ever the attention whore, strolled up to the vanity too. He ran a hand through his hair and winked at his reflection. “I have to admit that you look good, bro, but I think I look better.”

Sparks of red light flashed from Billy’s hand. “Not today, Tommy. Today is my day! I’m the bride!”

Tommy gulped, while Cassie cackled. Cassie intervened before Billy could throw Tommy into the Dark Dimension as she grabbed his wrist. “We’ll check on everything. I’ll let you know when we’re ready for you to walk down the aisle!”

“Appreciate it, Cassie.” Billy turned his attention back to his mom. He was all smiles as it was finally going to happen. “I’m getting married.”

Wanda rubbed her cheek just below her eye. “I know.” Her voice cracked a little as she spoke. “You don’t have to get married today, though. You could give it another year or two. Or.”

“Mom, it’s happening.” Billy placed his hands on Wanda’s arms. “It’s okay. You’re not losing a son. You’re gaining one, remember?”

Wanda curled her lips and took a deep breath. “I know. I know. But you’re still my baby.” Wanda leaned over to give Billy a big hug. “And it’s just going to be hard living in the house without you, especially since Tommy abandoned me.”

Billy pressed his face against Wanda’s dark curls. “You’ll be fine. If anything, with your bratty sons gone, you can finally date without worrying about us fucking things up.”

Wanda cackled. She leaned to kiss him on the cheek. “We’ll worry about my love life another day. Let’s marry you off. I’ll check to see if my future son-in-law’s ready.”

“I could do that,” said Billy.

“No!” Wanda was already out the door. “It’s bad luck for the groom to see the bridegroom before the ceremony.” Billy laughed as he knew those rules didn’t really apply to gay weddings but humored her anyway. 

*~*

Teddy stared at his reflection. Of course, he was in his Skrull form since there was no point in looking like an Earthling, especially on his wedding day. There were a bit more expectations on him though to appear as regal as possible. He wore a black, one-piece suit with green armor covering part of his torso. And flowing behind him was a magenta cape. 

“You look magnificent, my prince.”

Teddy looked behind him to see his fellow Kree-Skrull hybrid, Lan-Zarr, there. The blue-skinned man wore a traditional wedding suit since Skrull customs were not quite as strict for the guests. 

Lan-Zarr appeared comfortable. Despite the tragedy at Castle Tarnala and the deaths of the Knights of the Infinite, Lan-Zarr adjusted to Earth-life with Mur-G’nn. It was a painful transition as they were the only hybrids alive, aside from Teddy, and it was up to them to keep the flames of tradition burning.

Lan-Zarr also carried with him a purple crown. The crown didn’t look anything like the old crown of his grandfather. The royal jewels and symbols of the Skrull Empire got destroyed during the various Kree-Skrull Wars. This crown, a simple band that would go around Teddy’s forehead, was forged from Vibranium to be a symbol of his ascension to the throne.

Teddy knelt in recognition of the gesture. 

Lan-Zarr slid the crown onto Teddy’s head while uttering a prayer in the old Skrull tongue. “Rise, Prince Dorrek. Today is the start of your new journey. May our gods smile upon your union.”

“Blessed be.” Teddy stood back on his feet. “And thank you for your help, Lan-Zarr. I doubt I would’ve used any of the old traditions into the ceremony. All the elders were too young to recall any of the ceremonial traditions for a royal wedding.”

“It is my honor, my prince.” Lan-Zarr bowed. “I am glad to be part of your special day.”

There was a gentle knock at the door. Wanda stepped inside with Eli escorting her since he was Teddy’s best man. Eli wore a white flower over his heart, similar to what Tommy wore. 

Wanda’s eyes lit up as she saw what Teddy wore. She squinted her eyes a little, then nodded. “Loki will have a field day making fun of you for that outfit. You really do look like the Prince Charming of space.”

Teddy chuckled as he walked over to Wanda to hug her. “Yeah, I can already hear the jokes.”

“Eh, who cares what Loki says.” Eli patted Teddy on the shoulder. “It’s your big day. You look really good, man.”

“So do you.” Teddy smiled. “So...Billy? How is he?”

“I can’t think of any word to describe how happy he is,” said Wanda.

Teddy’s lips curled inward as he kept on smiling. “He’s happy. Good. Good. I can’t wait to see him. I got all these butterflies in my stomach like when he and I first met.”

Wanda brushed a tear away. “Good. I hope that feeling lasts a long time.” She kissed him on the cheek. “Come on, Teddy. We best get you outside so you can marry my baby boy.”

“Yes, ma’am.” Teddy linked arms with Wanda.

As they walked out the door, Wanda patted Teddy’s hand. “You know, Teddy, you can call me mom if you want.” 

Teddy nodded. “Okay, mom.”

*~*

Everyone took to their seats as the wedding started.

They held the ceremony outdoors, so there was plenty of room for everyone. Teddy’s side was full of Skrulls, while Billy’s side had the Avengers and their allies. Except for Bruce, who had to sit on a wagon instead of on a chair. Meanwhile, Peter ran everywhere to take pictures since they hired him as their wedding photographer. All the Avengers came to celebrate Billy and Teddy’s wedding with Veranke sitting on Billy’s side while still wearing Pepper’s face as a disguise. She kept her eyes on everything as she sat close to the aisle.

Overlooking New Asgard, they built a chuppah for the ceremony. The birch chuppah featured white and pink flowers with a silky, white sheet on top. Loki already stood underneath the chuppah and wore a white suit instead of the emerald one that the other guys wore because he was Loki, and he wanted to look different.

The wedding party already walked down the aisle. Eli, Kate, Riri, Kamala, and Nate stood on Teddy’s side. Cassie, Amadeus, Noh-Varr, and America were on Billy’s side.

Next, Teddy came down the aisle with Talos and Soren walking beside him as they acted as his parents. Teddy also held Excelsior in his hands to reaffirm both his duty and title as the Skrull Prince. While they walked, Veranke resisted the urge to glare not only because she knew Teddy was an abomination but also the betrayal of her parents. Once they reached the chuppah, Talos and Soren took their seats to leave Teddy standing in front of Eli.

Finally, Billy came down the aisle as he walked with Wanda and Tommy. Billy tried so hard not to cry so that he didn’t ruin his makeup. He beamed when his eyes locked onto Teddy as he couldn’t help but feel his stomach fluttering. 

Billy kissed Wanda on the cheek before he and Tommy took their spot under the chuppah.

Loki clapped his hands together. “Well, isn’t this an exciting moment. I almost thought we’d never make it, but here we all are. Today, we celebrate the union of Prince Dorrek VIII of House T’Ryss and William Maximoff, the Scarlet Son.” Loki chuckled. “Now, I made a promise to William and Dorrek to behave and resist my base urges as God of Mischief and Lies. But I also have a new title, one that I got while on an adventure with my brother and the better Thor.” Loki winked over to Thor and Jane. Thor rubbed his forehead while Jane chuckled. “I am also the God of Stories. And even I must admit that not even I could write a story as beautiful as the one Dorrek and William share.”

Billy and Teddy smiled at Loki as they hadn’t expected him to say something so kind about them.

Adjusting himself on his seat, an old Steve leaned over towards Bucky and Sam. “And here I was worried about Loki officiating the ceremony,” Steve whispered to them. Carol shushed Steve as he spoke just a bit too loud.

Loki glared at Steve. “I heard that, Rogers.” Loki coughed to straighten himself out. He recited a few more words before crossing his arms behind his back. “And now, the happy couple wish to share some words before we get to the vows. Dorrek.”

Teddy gently squeezed onto Billy’s hands. “Billy, I’ve known that I was in love with you since the first day we met at the Avengers compound. After spending all my life in space, terrified that I would be killed for my mixed heritage, those fears went away when our eyes first met. Then, when you took my hand and introduced me to the deliciousness of pizza, I knew I wanted to spend the rest of my life with you. I vow to give you my eternal love and devotion.”

Billy took a deep breath to keep himself from crying. He cracked a smile as he met Teddy’s gaze. “Teddy, I feel exactly the same. And I always knew how perfect you are for me, but I knew that we were truly meant to be when I lost myself in darkness. You found my soul and brought me back from the abyss even when I thought death was my only option. You save me in more ways than one, and I vow not just my love but to always be there for you too. I will be there to save you and stand by your side whenever you need me.”

They were almost about to kiss when Loki put his hands between their lips.

“No smooching yet!” said Loki. “We’re not done here.”

Loki made them recite the rest of their vows before they properly exchanged rings. Eli and Tommy stepped up to pass the rings along with Teddy sliding a ring onto Billy’s hand; then, Billy did the same to Teddy.

Loki flicked his wrist with a bottle wrapped in a white cloth appearing in his hand. “And since there are no objections, as God of Stories, I hereby declare you married and to live happily ever after. Now you may smooch.”

Teddy and Billy rolled their eyes at Loki as they finally shared their first kiss as husbands.

As their family and friends applauded, Loki slid the bottle in front of Teddy’s feet. He backed away a second to give Teddy space to stomp the bottle.

However, Billy stopped Teddy. He turned his attention to Loki once more. “It’s not a trick bottle, is it?”

Loki groaned as he snapped his fingers. Green sparks washed over the bottle to undo the trick he planned. “You can’t let me have even a tiny bit of fun.” 

With the bottle safe to break, Teddy stomped on it. 

“Mazel tov!” A chorus of voices joined with the applause, while Billy and Teddy shared another kiss.

*~*

Even as the sun started to set on New Asgard, the reception continued as no one intended to let the party end too early. They held the reception at the city square with the Asgardians and Skrulls trapping most of the town in the party as everyone wanted to celebrate Billy and Teddy’s marriage. 

Carol and Monica threw orbs of light into the air to illuminate the party. As the orbs illuminated everything, Strange flicked his wrists to cover the orbs in a dome with several hexagon shapes. The dome caused the orbs to act like twinkling lights, giving it a strobe light effect.

The food was mostly gone, plenty of barrels of alcohol were now empty, and everyone was as merry as could be. 

Peter took a step back before bringing the camera to his face. “Okay! Big smile.” He took several photos at once then did a quick scroll to make sure they turned out good. Once satisfied, he gave a smile of his own. “Great! That is a picture for the mantle.”

Billy and Teddy finally unwrapped their arms from each other as they stood on the dance floor. Well, part of the down floor. People were dancing up and down the streets as the wedding took over the entire town.

“Thanks again, Pete,” said Billy. “We appreciate you being our photographer.”

“My pleasure! It’s the least I could do since Teddy’s paying me enough to finish grad school debt-free.” Peter pulled the camera strap back around his neck. He walked over to give them both a hug at once. “Congrats, guys. Maybe MJ and I will join you in married life soon.”

Teddy chuckled. “Well, if you need help planning a wedding, we have plenty of experience now. Although, you’re on your own when it comes to finding a photographer.”

Peter laughed as he waved them off to start taking more pictures.

Billy slipped his arms around Teddy’s waist and rested his face against his chest. After the ceremony ended, Teddy ditched the armor and the bodysuit to change into a black tuxedo. They both felt far more comfortable now with Billy happy to feel closer to Teddy now, while Teddy was just glad that he didn’t have to carry the armor’s weight.

“William Maximoff-T’Ryss, Prince-Consort,” Billy whispered. “That will take some getting used to.”

“You could be an Altman instead.” Teddy had his arms on Billy’s lower back. “You don’t have to take my Skrull name or the royal title. We could just be human.”

Billy shook his head. He pulled his head from Teddy’s chest so they could look each other in the eyes. “But you’re not human; you’re a Skrull...and Kree. And I didn’t marry a human; I married you, so I want to honor that part of you by making it a part of me too. Even if only in name.”

Teddy smiled. “And I want to be part of you too.” He gently kissed Billy on the lips as they swayed to the music. As he pulled his lips away, he brushed their forehead together. “Dorrek VIII Maximoff-T’Ryss. It’s a mouthful, but I love it.”

“And I love you.”

“I love you more.” They shared another kiss underneath the twinkling lights.

As the party continued, Veranke slipped away as she still wore her Pepper disguise. 

Veranke played nice with everyone as she spent a long time as Pepper now. And she was even kind enough to leave Morgan under Clint and his family’s care. There was no point in being excessively cruel to the child, especially given what Veranke already had planned for the world.

As Veranke slipped away from the party, she glared at Talos and Soren, but they were too wrapped up in the party to notice. She groaned in disgust as she pressed a red button on her bracelet. The button served to activate the Quinjet she took to New Asgard, but it also carried a secondary function. It sent a signal to the Dard’van fleet and their various agents. 

Veranke finally gave the call to begin the invasion.

*~*

All across Earth, Dard’van sleeper cells heard Veranke’s command. They underwent their missions to initiate the final groundwork for the Dard’van invasion. They spared no country from invasion as they wanted to ensure the Earth would fully serve under Veranke. Every corner of the world played a crucial role in revitalizing a true Skrull Empire.

In halls of government, Dard’van operatives removed critical people from positions of power. In some cases, a Dard’van operative already served as head of state, so it was a matter of making room for more operatives. 

Meanwhile, military leaders also saw the activation of Dard’van operatives. Low-ranking soldiers were easy enough to trick, but it was the various officers that saw operatives taking over as well as several generals revealing themselves as Skrulls.

Media outlets weren’t immune to the invasion either as Dard’van operatives were indeed everywhere. Owners of media networks and high-ranking journalists began to lay the groundwork for support of the invasion as they prepared new publications to legitimize Veranke’s rule. 

All this occurred as the wedding celebrations died out, and as Billy and Teddy enjoyed their first and would potentially be their last night as husbands.

*~*

Gentle sunlight peeked through the circular window above the bedroom. Billy and Teddy celebrated their wedding night at New Asgard in a cozy cottage that overlooked the sea.

Teddy laid against Billy’s chest with his weight, almost crushing Billy as they laid in bed. The sheets barely covered anything as most were tossed to the ground while they celebrated their first night as husbands.

Billy ran his fingers through Teddy’s blond hair. Despite the lack of sleep, Billy felt weirdly energized for the day. He assumed it had to do with the excitement of being newlyweds.

Teddy yawned and rubbed his face against Billy’s chest. “You’re very comfy.”

“Am I?” Billy chuckled. “Who knew all it would take to marry you to turn you into the little spoon.”

“I was always little spoon material.” Teddy pushed himself upright. “You’ve just been super clinging that I never got the chance to be needy. But now that we’re married, you’re going to see the true me.”

Billy laughed as he pulled Teddy back onto his chest. “Oh? I would like to see that.”

Teddy smirked. “You got it, bucko.”

They resumed their cuddling and stayed in bed for as long as possible. They wanted nothing to do with the outside world. The drama could wait. For now, it was all about them celebrating the next stage of their lives that they would spend together.

“If you’re going to be needy,” said Billy as he stroked Teddy’s back, “I guess that means I have to do top more often. And given everything we did last night, it’s a good thing that neither one of us can get pregnant.”

“Um...that’s not true.” Teddy adjusted himself so he could look at Billy properly. “Your mom magically made you and Tommy. And you do remember that I have two moms. How do you think that happened?”

Billy’s mouth hung agape. He knew about Mar-Vell and Anelle, but he hadn’t given it much thought how they conceived Teddy. “Oh...right. How did that work, considering that they’re both females?”

“Skrulls are shapeshifters. We don’t just alter our appearances, but we can also alter our organs, including our reproductive system.” Teddy rested his chin on Billy’s chest. “So...I could give myself a female reproductive system which means一”

“You can get pregnant,” finished Billy. “Unless I decide to cast a spell to make us kids. Wow...we can have kids.”

Teddy nodded. “We can have kids.”

“Would the Skrulls be okay with that? Their prince, the future emperor, being pregnant?”

“Skrulls aren’t bothered by gender and sexuality the same way that Earthlings are. It’s fairly common for Skrull men to get pregnant, especially if in a same-sex relationship. That’s why we worship the goddess, Sl’gur’t. Her title is God of Infinite Names because she embodies the ever-changing potential of our people.”

Billy whistled. “Incredible. I hadn’t really thought about kids in our future, but now that's a real possibility.” 

Teddy cut Billy off with a kiss. He rolled onto his back and pulled Billy on top of him. “We don’t have to have kids today or tomorrow. We can table that discussion for the future. Let’s just enjoy being newlyweds for a little while longer.”

“Okay.” Billy kissed Teddy again.

They stayed embracing one another, kissing and touching each other until their phones started ringing. They ignored it, but as soon as the first call ended, another round of calls came in, making them groan in annoyance. 

They grabbed their phones from the end tables.

“It’s Riri,” said Billy.

“I got Noh,” said Teddy.

They answered their phones to get panicked voices responding to them. The only thing they could understand was commands telling them to turn on the TV.

As soon as the TV screen flickered on, the channel played an insane news broadcast.

“It is another invasion as alien ships have been sighted all across the world, most of which appear in capitals and major cities. We just received word that the President of the United States is getting on air from the Oval Office to speak more on this invasion.”

The image transitioned to a live broadcast from the Oval Office. The President sat with his hands folded over the desk. “To my fellow Americans. And my fellow humans. I must announce that this is a peaceful invasion. These aliens are the Dard’van, the rightful leaders of the Skrull people. Other world leaders and I have been communicating with the Dard’van for some time now.”

Billy and Teddy jumped from the bed, completely naked, to stare at the screen. Their mouths hung open as they struggled to process what the President just confessed.

“And given our talks, it is with a heavy heart that I must make a declaration of war.” The President sighed. “On behalf of the world leaders, I must declare the Young Avengers as enemies of humanity for harboring the terrorist, Prince Dorrek VIII, and his Skrull allies.”

“What the fuck!” Billy blasted the TV with a jolt of lightning. The TV exploded with glass and wires flying across the room. He turned to Teddy, who stood there, trembling from the news. “Teddy…”

Tears trickled down Teddy’s eyes. He couldn’t believe what he just heard, but it was all made worse with the news of him being declared a terrorist. An enemy of Earth.

“Teddy.” Billy grabbed Teddy’s hands. “It’ll be okay. We’ll fix this. The Dard’van finally revealed themselves so we can stop them now.”

“Can we?” asked Teddy. “We’re enemies of Earth.”

Billy tried to speak, but his words escaped him as they heard the roar of engines.

*~*

Chaos befell New Asgard. Dard’van ships blackened its skies. The situation worsened as Dard’van Skrulls touched the ground where they attacked Skrulls and Asgardians alike.

The streets became stained with blood as the Skrulls and Asgardians chose to fight against the Dard’van invaders. An Asgardian stabbed a Dard’van Skrull with a fishing spear only to have a Dard’van Skrull appear from behind to decapitate him with a laser sword. 

Dard’van Skrulls, Skrulls, and Asgardians fell as war raged.

Mur-G’nn turned a corner to fling a fireball in the direction of a Dard’van Skrull, incinerating the enemy Skrull within seconds. She tossed her dark hair back as she signaled for young Skrulls and Asgardians to take shelter. 

Mur-G’nn gasped as she saw Billy and Teddy openly running on the street in civilian attire. “No!” She rushed over to their side, pulling them into an alleyway. “You must hide! The Dard’van will want you both dead if they cannot capture you.”

“We can’t back down,” said Teddy. “This is what we’ve been preparing for.”

Billy nodded. “This is our turn to fight.”

Before Mur-G’nn could disagree, a laser cannon blast rocketed across the street. The explosion demolished an entire building. Luckily, the building was empty, but the Dard’van Skrulls fired too close for comfort.

They raced away from town to organize their counterattack better, while explosions erupted across New Asgard as the Dard'van continued their assaults. 

The violence only continued as they stared outdoors. More Skrulls and Asgardians fought against the Dard’van, with many dying in the process.  
  
Billy held back tears as there was no time to mourn their loss. 

Mur-G’nn led them to the edge of town where Lan-Zarr dueled against a group of Dard’van who hissed obscenities at him for being a Kree-Skrull hybrid.

Lan-Zarr wasn’t alone as Brunnhilde and Jane battled at his side.

Brunnhilde stabbed a Dard’van with her sword, Dragonfang, before pulling it out of the Dard’van’s corpse to decapitate another. Blood covered her white armor, but she did not care for she was the King of New Asgard and would lay her life down to defend it.

Dragging Dragonfang across the throat of another Dard’van Skrull, Brunnhilde growled in disgust at the sheer number of enemies. “Bloody Hel! This is almost as bad as Hela’s army of undead.”

Jane fought equally as aggressive as she tossed Mjolnir at every Dard’van Skrull that dared to approach. Her cape billowed in the breeze she created as lightning flashed around her as she did her best to defeat the Dard’van before it was too late.

A pillar of green flames emerged from the ground, with Loki becoming visible.

“You shouldn’t be here!” Loki rushed over to Billy and Teddy. “We need to get you out of here. The Dard’van一”

“We know!” said Billy and Teddy.

Loki shook his head. “But you don’t. It’s Thor.”

Thunder roared over them, and the ground trembled as a figure landed on the ground.

Entering the battleground, Thor took a step towards them. However, it quickly became apparent that something wasn’t right.

Thor glared at Teddy and Billy as he extended a handout. Stormbreaker arrived at Thor's hand, but that’s when he changed. Thor’s body shifted to reveal the form of a Skrull with everyone witnessing that Thor wasn’t Thor but a Dard’van Skrull.

“They got to Thor.” Billy clenched his fists, channeling scarlet-colored energy.

Loki tugged on Billy’s arm to pull him back. “They did, but this isn’t your fight! We can’t let the Dard’van capture you. You have to leave.”

Lightning erupted from Stormbreaker as Skrull-Thor began his assault. “Die, abomination!”

Before the lightning struck them, Jane flew to their defense. She raised Mjolnir to cause the lightning to strike her instead. She could easily stand her ground as she also wielded the power of Thor. “Loki, get them out of here! I’ll hold off this imposter.”

Sparks of green light arose from Loki’s fingers. “You heard the warrior goddess! I’m getting you out of here.” Loki flung his hands about to create a portal. He shoved Billy and Teddy through the portal before it was too late. He quickly closed it behind them as he turned over to Mur-G’nn. “Care to join me in this dance to the death?”

Mur-G’nn nodded. “On my honor as a Knight of the Infinite, I will fulfill my duty to protect Prince Dorrek. Especially if it means bathing in the blood of our enemies.” 

“You’re almost as scary as Valkyrie.” Loki pulled a dagger from his coat then flung it where it sailed just past Mur-G’nn’s face to fatally stab a Dard’van Skrull between the eyes.

“Nice save.” Mur-G’nn clenched her fists as she channeled flames that she used to pummel the Dard’van Skrulls.

*~*

The portal opened where it spat Billy and Teddy back into Young Avengers HQ. 

Everyone else was already there, too, as they assembled at the monitor. Tommy muttered a quick prayer before rushing over to hug them both.

“Are you hurt?” asked Cassie.

“No.” Billy took a deep breath. “Loki’s still in New Asgard, though. And, Odinson’s a Skrull.”

Eli sighed. “It only gets worse from there. We’ve been monitoring the Dard’van invasion as best as we can without alerting anyone. They’ve already got the States to surrender to Veranke.”

Kamala walked over with a tablet. She pressed a few keys. “And we also got this message from Wakanda.”

The tablet showed a holographic message from Shuri. “To all Avengers, Wakanda is in danger. Skrulls have infiltrated most of the guard. I just uncovered that T’challa and Okoye have been replaced with Skrulls. I am evacuating everyone and everything I can from the city to Jabari territory. Please, be careful.”

The transmission cut off from there, with Kamala pulling the tablet to her chest.

Kate frowned. “Maybe we should’ve warned the Avengers about the Dard’van.”

“No, that wouldn’t have worked,” said Teddy. “Thor, T’Challa, and Okoye are Skrulls. Who knows who else got swapped.”

Riri raised her hand. “That’s where we come in! Now that the Dard’van finally made the first move, J.O.N.A.S. can finally get a better read on the situation and how to identify Dard’van operatives. Isn’t that right, J.O.N.A.S.?”

“Indeed, Riri!” said J.O.N.A.S. “I am running final calculations now. I will have a 93.9% certainty of unveiling Dard’van operatives.”

“Still a big enough gap, buddy,” said Amadeus. “Any chance we can shrink that?”

“Not at this moment, Amadeus,” said J.O.N.A.S. “Unless you provide me with more data, I can only act with a 93.9% certainty.”

Noh-Varr grabbed a gun. “We’ll take it.” He walked over to the group with his arms crossed. “I should try and do some recon for us. America, want to join me?”

“Hell yeah,” said America. “It beats being cooped up in here.”

Meanwhile, Nate stared at the monitor as he ran calculations of his own. He started to piece together what the Dard’van accomplished so far, but none of it made sense. “I remember learning about the Dard’van invasion, but it didn’t play out this flawlessly. Something isn’t right.” It brought shivers down his spine as he thought about the changing variable. He didn’t understand if the history books got it wrong or if something...or someone else made the difference.

Cassie patted Nate on the back. “Didn’t you travel through time because Moridun possessing Billy wasn’t meant to happen and disrupted the timeline? Could it be that this is some consequence? Like a butterfly effect.”

“That would make sense,” said Nate, “but I can’t help but feel like something bigger is at work.

Riri and Amadeus reviewed what little data they got out of J.O.N.A.S. They were seconds away from achieving their “eureka” moment when the walls of their base exploded. 

Everyone was thrown about with smoke flooding the base.

As everyone started to back on their feet, the smoke cleared with the sound of footsteps alerting them to a genuine threat. They gasped as the situation went from bad to terrible.

Four bodies stood at the gaping hole in their base. They looked like Bruce, Jen, Bucky, and Carol, but it was painfully obvious it wasn’t them. The Dard’van got to them too, replacing them with Skrulls.

Teddy waved his hand with Excelsior magically appearing. He clenched the hilt of the sword and pointed it at them. “This ends here! You won’t take anyone else away from me or hurt my family!”

“Die, abomination!” shouted the Skrull Avengers.

Teddy yelled as he charged into battle.


	3. Face My Fears

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm not going to take up your valuable reading time. I had some Kingdom Hearts 3 vibes while writing this so naturally, I chose an appropriate song for the occasion. "Face My Fears" by Hikaru Utada.
> 
> Now, let the mayhem continue! Kudos and comments are appreciated!

Chapter 3: Face My Fears

Smoke rose from the smoldering remains of Young Avengers HQ.

Teddy continued to blindly rush after the Dard’van Skrulls that stole the faces of the Avengers.

The Skrull-Carol flew at them, burning with fiery, cosmic energy. Teddy’s wings burst forth from his back, and he took to the sky after Skrull-Carol. He swung Excelsior at her, which kept her at bay. And as she fired cosmic blasts, Excelsior proved strong enough to withstand every attack.

“No!” Billy stumbled onto the street. “Teddy! Get back!”

Teddy was too high in the sky to hear.

Riri and Nate wasted no time in gearing up for battle. They activated their armor with the nano-tech, quickly covering their bodies. Wearing their armor, they fired the strongest repulsor blasts they could muster as Skrull-Jen charged after them.

The repulsor blasts shot Skrull-Jen across the street into a parked car. The few pedestrians out in the open screamed in terror as they ran away from the fight brewing between the Young Avengers and Dard’van Skrulls.

Amadeus responded quickly to confront Skrull-Bruce. Their fists connected with it generating a sonic boom that shattered every window within the block. In the process, the force of the attack sent Amadeus crashing to the ground.

Given the Dard’van Skrull had the abilities of an uninhibited Hulk, Skrull-Bruce only stumbled a bit. He was ready for another fight, which is precisely what he got. America and Noh-Varr swooped in and punched Skrull-Bruce as hard as they could. They struck with enough momentum to send Skrull-Bruce crashing into a nearby building, but that would only serve to slow him down for a moment.

Meanwhile, Skrull-Bucky shot countless laser blasts. Kamala and Tommy did everything they could to maintain his attention. Kamala elongated her body to a stretchy mess, while Tommy ran at superspeed so that they could easily avoid every blast.

The distraction provided Eli with a chance to strike. Since he was without his street, he grabbed a manhole cover and tossed it. However, instead of hitting Skrull-Bucky, Skrull-Jen got back on her feet and caught the cover. She flung it towards Eli and Cassie. Eli jumped out of the way, while Cassie shrank herself for a second to avoid getting hit.

Riri and Nate came back to bombard Skrull-Jen with repulsor blasts as the others worked on Skrull-Bruce.

In the meantime, Kate grabbed on Billy’s arm as she dragged them behind a car.

“We need our gear, and you need to super witch up!” Kate pulled their heads lower as Skrull-Bucky shot in their direction. “We can’t keep fighting them like this.”

Billy nodded. His eyes briefly turned to the chaos unfolding. He snapped his fingers to conjure the Asgardian bow that Loki gave Kate before. 

Kate knew exactly what to do. She waited for when Skrull-Bucky got distracted before pulling on the imaginary bowstring to construct a laser arrow. She fired the arrow at one of Skrull-Bucky’s guns, partly disarming him. The attack left Skrull-Bucky shocked long enough for Tommy to run in and punch him as hard as he could.

There was a boom above them. 

Skrull-Carol slammed her fist against Teddy’s face. Teddy started to come crashing towards the ground, with Billy screaming at the top of his lungs.

Fortunately, waves of scarlet-pink energy wrapped themselves around Teddy as he was gently brought to the ground. Before anyone could question who saved Teddy, a pulse wave of that same energy rippled across the street. 

Wanda Maximoff pulled herself upright with her red coat swaying in the breeze. Threads of scarlet-pink energy rippled across her body as she glared at the Dard’van Skrulls. “Hands off my kids!”

Wanda wasted no time. She flicked her wrist to vaporize Skrull-Bucky, leaving behind only hot ash.

Skrull-Bruce charged after Wanda, but she didn’t think twice. She threw her arm into the air with energy wrapping around Skrull-Bruce that hurled him high into the sky. He went so high and so quick that they couldn’t help but think she threw him into space.

Skrull-Jen roared as she tossed a car at Wanda. Wanda swung her hands to redirect the car’s path back to Skrull-Jen, which exploded upon impact. 

It didn’t end there as Skrull-Carol swooped in to strike. Wanda was ready, though, as she fired a blast of scarlet-pink energy directly at Skrull-Carol that also vaporized her.

Wanda tossed her head back as she went over to Billy, while Amadeus helped Teddy onto his feet. “Good! You’re all safe.”

“Mom!” Billy and Tommy ran to hug Wanda.

“You need to go,” said Wanda. “Find a safe place to lay low. Somewhere that the Avengers don’t know about.”

Kate clung onto her bow. “Do you know how many of the Avengers are Skrulls now?”

“I’m not certain, but don’t take any chances. Just go.”

“But mom.” Billy had tears in his eyes.

Wanda stroked Billy’s chin. “Protect them. Your brother, your husband, and your friends all need you now more than I do. I can take care of myself.”

Billy swallowed his fear and nodded his head. “I’ll protect them.”

A mighty roar echoed across the street as Skrull-Jen emerged from the wreckage. She looked a little larger as the mixture of Skrull and Hulk DNA made the threat bigger.

Wanda sighed. “This just got exciting.” She rushed down the street and fired blasts of scarlet-pink energy, as the Young Avengers heeded her words.

Teddy held onto Billy’s hand as they joined the others in running away.

*~*

Chaos unfolded on the streets of New York as they did elsewhere across the world. Anywhere that didn’t simply bow before the Dard’van’s authority saw an invasion.

New York was no exception as hundreds of Skrulls roamed the streets to hunt the Young Avengers.

Unfortunately, the Dard’van wasn’t the only threat. It didn’t take long for the team to notice that the police turned against them, while American soldiers appeared on the streets too.

Noh-Varr kept to the shadows as he peeked from the window of an abandoned building. He moved the tattered curtains to cover the window as best they could. “They hate us now. Veranke did a good job at convincing everyone we’re the bad guys.”

Billy magically patched up Teddy’s injuries from the fight with Skrull-Carol. Teddy’s healing abilities didn’t fix him quickly enough, so he got the magical treatment, as did everyone else.

“We need a real plan,” said Kamala. “And a hideout.”

America went into her pocket and found some gum. “Hiding out at your folks’ place isn’t an option. And we can’t exactly go to any of our homes.”

Eli bit on his thumb while thinking about their options. “And we can’t turn to any of the Defenders’ locations. They might be street-level heroes, but we can’t take the risk that the Dard’van didn’t get to them.”

“We could just leave the city,” suggested Cassie. “We could run to Canada or head to California.”

Nate shook his head as he ran a few calculations on his gauntlet pad. “We shouldn’t leave the city. My readings show that the majority of the Dard’van is focusing on the city. Trying to escape is just more likely to get us caught. Even then, we can’t abandon the city and let the Dard’van have their way.”

“Do we have any other options then?” asked Tommy.

“Good news!” Riri jumped to her feet as she stared at the monitor on her gauntlet. “J.O.N.A.S. got enough data from our last fight with the Skrulls. He is accelerating a program to help us properly identify the Dard’van.”

“J.O.N.A.S. is still functional?” asked Teddy. “But, the base got blown up.”

“We relocated his server ages ago,” said Amadeus. “We expected the base to get wrecked at some point, especially since we wreck the Avengers’ compound every other week.”

“Good thinking,” said Kate. “If we can start to identify friend from foe, it’ll be easier to build a resistance to the Dard’van. Unless our would-be-god snaps his fingers and fixes everything for us.”

Billy chuckled. “As powerful as I am, I doubt even I can reverse this invasion.” Billy looked around at everyone. He could easily identify the fear in their eyes, which only made him worry more as he couldn’t help but feel like he brought this on them. He glanced at Teddy, who held his head, ashamed. 

If anyone would feel guilty, it was Teddy since the Dard’van was his problem. 

Billy cracked a smile. “We need to be ready for a fight. So let’s get ready.” Billy closed his eyes. “YoungAvengersAssemble. YoungAvengersAssemble. YoungAvengersAssemble.”

Everyone’s bodies, except for Riri and Nate, started to glow. Billy’s spell washed over them, as he dressed everyone in their uniforms and gave them their gear. While everything got destroyed when the Dard’van Avengers blew their headquarters up, it wasn’t that difficult for Billy to warp reality enough to create replacements magically.

America tugged on her red jacket. “Sweet! At least we’ll go down fighting in style.”

Teddy clenched onto Excelsior as he started to get back on his feet. “You guys should hide. I’m the one that the Dard’van wants. There’s no point in risking your lives.”

Eli snorted. “Bro, we’ve had this talk before. We fought the Dard’van and the Kree Empire to keep you safe. There’s no way we’re ditching you now.”

“That’s right.” Billy went over to Teddy with his red cape swaying. He extended his hand out to Teddy as he poked at the uniform. Teddy’s uniform started to change a little. Teddy still wore a black bodysuit, but the purple lines shifted around to run across his chest with a star at the center that looked a bit like Carol’s uniform. “We’re in this until the very end. You can’t get rid of us.”

Teddy smiled. And as he leaned to kiss Billy, the building started to shake. Everyone screamed as they began to back away while the windows and walls collapsed.

“Everyone, get out of here!” Nate activated his armor with Riri following his example. “The Dard’van found us!”

Outside, Dard’van forces bombarded the building with a ship flying above them. 

Billy acted swiftly to conjure a portal, but, in the chaos, the portal became distorted as he lost his concentration. While the portal got them out of the building, the portal also scattered everyone across the city, putting the team in greater danger.

*~*

Nate landed on Staten Island. His armor shocked him awake as it started to react on its own from a mixture of Billy’s magic and trying to resuscitate him.

“I’m up! I’m up!” Nate detracted his helmet to get a look around his surroundings. He felt partly lucky that he was in the middle of an empty road, but also terrified because he was on a deserted road by himself.

Nate gulped. He got back to his feet and kept his eyes open to watch for any Dard’van Skrulls that might try to ambush him. 

He called into his comms to connect with J.O.N.A.S. or any of his teammates.

“Iron Lad reporting,” whispered Nate. “Can anyone hear me?”

“I read you loud and clear, Nathaniel.”

The deep voice brought shivers down Nate’s spine. His armor immediately responded to the changes in his biochemistry to activate its defense system. The helmet covered his head once more, while his repulsor blasters started to burn with raw energy.

Nate spun back around and prepared to fire.

“Armor, deactivate.”

The command overrode Nate’s innate responses. The armor started to retract itself into its nano-form, retreating into a wristwatch that left Nate wholly exposed. 

Nate stood there with his eyes wide and his legs trembling.

Standing before him was Kang.

Kang came down to Earth. He dressed in a green and purple tunic with thigh-high, purple boots and purple armor covering parts of his chest. “You are a stubborn one, Nathaniel. If only you knew of the amount of work I went through to find you.”

Nate tried to back away, but his fear kept his legs from budging. “How...how did you even find me, Kang? I masked my temporal trail.”

Kang laughed. “Did you now? You really thought that you could hide from Kang? I don’t know if I should be insulted or disappointed.” Kang huffed as he thought more Nate’s pathetic attempt. They both knew how pointless this resistance was, but Nate kept on fighting. “Don’t forget, boy; your armor is mine. I could find you at any point in time and any universe. There is no hiding from your destiny.”

Kang extended his hand out. A laser sword formed that he raised over to Nate. “And now I had to align myself with lesser lifeforms to find you and bring you home. How shameful! Fortunately for you, I already had some interest in this era. I can’t exactly allow the reign of Supreme Emperor Dorrek to begin or else I’d have a credible threat to my sovereignty.”

Nate tried to activate his repulsor blaster, but his armor wouldn’t respond to him in the slightest way. “Damn! You can’t do this, Kang! This is all so wrong. Please, stop this mad obsession with conquest!”

“Obsession? This is destiny!” Kang slowly approached Nate as he swung his sword back. “You are me, Nathaniel. It is your destiny to become Kang the Conqueror. All I want is to make sure that you continue down your path to becoming me.”

Nate shook his head. The memories of his past replaying themselves in his head. His painful childhood in the distant future, and eventually meeting his awful, future self. “No!” Nate shouted at the top of his lungs. “I’m nothing like you! I won’t become you, Kang! I’m Iron Lad!”

Kang smirked. “You’ll get over this fantasy of playing hero soon enough and embrace your role as a conqueror.” 

As Kang prepared to strike Nate with the sword, not to kill but to injure, a mighty punch struck him in the face. Kang had the air knocked from him as he also dropped his sword. 

Kang bumped into a streetlamp. There was a shift in his vision as something grew from the ground, which turned out to be none other than Cassie.

Cassie tossed her dark hair over her shoulder. “So your Nate’s big secret. He grows up to be an evil dick.”

“Cassie!” Nate said with tears running down his face.

A car sailed across the street and crashed into Kang. Kang responded with his armor gauntlet shifting to create a massive rifle. The rifle blasted the car in a fiery explosion, and Amadeus jumped into the scene too.

Amadeus landed between them. He turned to throw a thumb’s up to Nate. “Don’t worry, Nate! We won’t let you go dark.”

Kang chuckled as he stepped from the burning wreckage. “Our destiny is written in stone, children. Not even you can change what is meant to be.”

“We saved Billy from Moridun.” Cassie crossed her arms over her chest. “Maybe you shouldn’t question our ability to change the future.”

“Ah, I forgot all about that.” Kang continued to laugh while he shook his head. “But it changes nothing. You always stood a chance in rescuing Billy. His fate wasn’t sealed. However, all of Nathaniel’s choices lead directly to me.” Kang raised his rifle and aimed at them. “So, Nathaniel, unless you want your friends to die.”

“Fuck off, loser!” Amadeus slammed his hands together to generate a massive sonic boom that surprised even Kang.

Kang flew down the street and dropped his rifle in the process. Kang’s stunned mental state caused Nate’s armor to respond to his commands.

Nate covered himself back in his armor. He grabbed onto Cassie and Amadeus. “We gotta go find the others now! They need to know about Kang.” 

Before Kang could stop them, Nate flew them into the air to put as much distance between them as possible.

Kang roared with rage as he allowed his younger self slip from his fingers once more.

*~*

Chaos unfolded on the streets as Dard’van Skrulls and American soldiers started to roam the streets.

Teddy and Tommy got swept into the mess as they landed in the middle of the Bronx. They found a dozen from each group waiting for them. It didn’t take long before they had to escape the gunfire.

Tommy raced nearly a top speed to disarm at least the American soldiers since their weapons were the least effective against powered people. He moved in a bright, green blur as he collected their guns like Pokemon.

With the soldiers gradually getting disarmed, Teddy took to the sky. He flew after the Dard’van Skrulls and used Excelsior as his primary means to repel their attacks. The magic of the sword granted him the power to neutralize every laser blast, while a few brave, or foolish, Skrulls tried a more direct approach. The result saw them losing a limb as Excelsior turned his sword against them.

Teddy put some distance between himself and the Dard’van as he continued to fly. “While you do not recognize my legitimacy, I am still your prince!” Teddy spoke in a harsh tone that the Dard’van would surely understand. “Either stand down or face death. We are brethren, but I will not hesitate to put you down for endangering my home!”

The Dard’van Skrulls grumbled as they continued their assault. Teddy did everything in his power to fend them off, but their sheer numbers gradually proved too much.

Meanwhile, Tommy dealt with the soldiers back on the ground. Luckily, the soldiers listened to Teddy and showed some signs of hesitating.

“Why are we even fighting these guys?” asked a soldier. “They’re Avengers. They’re on our side.”

“But the president’s orders were clear.”

“Do we want to get our asses kicked for that dick?”

Tommy smirked as he ran in front of the soldiers. “No, you don’t. You’re getting played, and you shouldn’t have to suffer the consequences.”

A soldier nodded his head. “Quicksilver is right! Fuck this bullshit.”

“But, we’ll get put up for court-martial.”

“You gotta do what you know in your heart is right!” shouted a cheerful voice.

Swinging in from down the street, Peter joined in the fight. He showed up in his Spider-Man uniform as he blasted a few Dard’van with webbing to the face.

Peter swung around a streetlight to kick a Dard’van in the chest. He perched himself on the light as he looked down at the soldiers. “Nazis used the excuse of following orders even though they knew what they were doing was wrong. They still got held accountable. So, tell me, men, how do you want to be remembered?”

Peter didn’t wait for their answer as he swung back into action to give Teddy backup.

The soldiers turned to each other before nodding. They went over to Tommy, with one electing to speak on their behalf. “Give us our guns back. We want to help you.”

Tommy smirked. “Good choice.” He ran to hand them back their weapons just as more Dard’van Skrulls started to fly into the picture.

With the soldiers turning against them, the Dard’van started to fire on the soldiers. The soldiers exchanged gunfire.

Peter blasted the Dard’van with webs while doing his best to cover the soldiers. He kept listening to his Spidey Sense for help. “Quicksilver! Dorrek! Get out of here. I’ll keep these guys safe. You go deal with the ones on the mothership.”

“Are you sure, Spidey?” asked Teddy.

“I got this! Go!”

Tommy nodded. “Kick their ass, Spider-Man!”

Peter smirked underneath his mask. He finally got Tommy to show him some damn respect. He built momentum in his swing to kick as Dard’van Skrull in the face.

Teddy flew towards the ground to grab Tommy. He flew them out of the immediate area, while the soldiers and Peter distracted the Dard’van. They didn’t know where they could go yet, but they would figure that out once they were out of the danger zone.

*~*

Kate and Eli rushed into an alleyway and hid behind a pile of crates as Dard’van Skrulls patrolled the streets of Chinatown. They kept huddled closely together to avoid detection, which appeared to work.

“I don’t like this at all.” Eli peaked over the crates to find the streets clearing up. “We’re too much of an open target. And how are we supposed to find a new headquarters where we can work out of that the Avengers don’t know about?”

Kate dropped her Asgardian bow and started to massage her temples. Everything ached not from pain but massive stress. “Chill for a sec, Eli. We’re fucked, but we can’t afford to freak out over everything.” She, purposely, bumped her head against the crates. “God, I hope Tommy and Noh are safe. And everyone else.” 

She closed her eyes to think back on her training with Clint. She reviewed every lesson he drilled into her head from his S.H.I.E.L.D. days, and all the time he spent training with Natasha. “Assess the situation. What resources and allies do we have? Who are our enemies? And what is our objective?”

Eli listened to Kate’s question. He closed his eyes too, as those words reminded him of his training with Sam and Bucky. He also thought back to all the time he spent training with Steve. “Our enemies can be anyone,” said Eli. “We are dealing with hostile, shape-shifting aliens. Our allies are dropping like mad, but we know we can trust anyone who is a Young Avenger. And if Riri can get J.O.N.A.S.’s Skrull identifying program operational, then we have a valuable resource.”

“And our final objective,” finished Kate, “is eliminating the head of the invasion, Queen Veranke. That is where we’re at now.”

Eli nodded. “Then let’s start with square one. We have to find our teammates.”

“There you are!”

A fuzzy blur wandered over to them even though they couldn’t see anyone there.

A split-second later, the blur solidified to reveal Riri in her armor.

Riri detracted her helmet to expose her face. She wore a big smile on her face. “I was trying to track everyone when I picked up on your signal. I’m glad I got to you before the Dard’van did.”

Kate smiled. “I’ve never been so happy to see you before, Riri.”

“What about me?”

A pair of limbs stretched down from above. Kamala soon appeared and kept looking around them with a nervous expression. “The Dard’van is leaving this block, but I got a feeling they’ll come back soon. We should move now.”

“And the others?” asked Eli. “Do we have any clue where they’re at?”

“Still working on that.” Riri’s helmet covered her face once more. “Kamala is right. We need to leave and regroup.”

Kate grabbed her bow and tossed Eli his shield. “Let’s move. Riri, focus on locating the others. We’ll deal with any Skrulls that get in our way.”

They agreed and made their way out of the alleyway, preparing themselves for the warzone.

*~*

The portal opened and spat Billy on the ground. Billy groaned while rubbing his ribs after the rough landing.

“Son of a fish.” Billy stumbled onto his feet when he noticed that he ended up at the Avengers’ compound. He groaned. “How did I end up here? This is the last place any of us should be.”

Billy strongly considered teleporting somewhere else but wasn’t sure on taking the chance. He decided to run into the compound to use the computer there to track everyone down. If things got dicey, then he would get out of there.

As Billy stepped inside the compound, he heard the hum of the computer. 

“Is someone here?” he whispered.

Billy walked further into the compound to the office area, where the main computer monitored everything. He walked as silently as possible to brace himself for anything. 

At the monitor, Pepper stood with her arms crossed. She spoke quietly to herself as she worked through whatever she planned.

“Pepper?” said Billy. “What are you doing here?”

Pepper went into her sleeve to grab the thin blade she kept hidden. “I saw the news. Things are getting bad out there. I was hoping to help monitor things.”

“Good plan,” said Billy. “But you’re aware some of the Avengers are Skrulls, right?”

“Of course.” Pepper spun around and tossed the blade at Billy. She shape-shifted back into her proper form as Veranke sought to kill Billy.

Billy threw his hand up to create a miniaturize barrier to cover himself from the attack. The blade bounced off the barrier, but the danger hadn’t passed yet.

Veranke leaped at Billy. She grabbed a steel handle from her waist that grew twice its normal size. She wielded an electrified polearm that she swung at Billy, moving at wild speed to pummel him.

Billy spun back to avoid the attack. He unleashed blasts of scarlet energy to push Veranke’s polearm back.

Sparks of magic and electricity rippled out from the impact. It generated blasts that destroyed parts of the compound.

Veranke twirled her polearm back while glaring. “I almost feel bad about killing you. But you did marry an abomination.” 

Billy floated away as he didn’t want to be too close. “Why do you keep calling Dorrek that? Do you even know anything about him? Or are you just a bigot?”

“You dare insult me? I am Queen of the Skrulls.” Veranke tossed her polearm at Billy after fully electrifying it.

The electrical surge would surely kill Billy based on its voltage. He acted fast to blast the polearm away. However, the polearm generated a strong enough current to shock him still even though he avoided direct contact.

Billy stumbled. The taste of copper blinded his senses as his vision got momentarily fuzzy. “Veranke...your parents would be really disappointed in how you turned out.”

Veranke smirked. “You know nothing of my family, little witch. But I know everything about yours after capturing your mother.”

Scarlet energy flared around Billy. He moved to blast Veranke, but something else got to him first. A powerful blast of energy struck him and tossed him through a glass wall. It took quick thinking for him to create a protective aura around his body to keep him from diced to pieces.

Billy crashed against a sofa with his head feeling fuzzy. He struggled to get back on his feet just as a massive fist struck him in the chest.

The fist struck Billy hard enough to punch him through a window. Billy landed at the courtyard of the compound close to where the memorial to the fallen Avengers stood.

Veranke stepped out of the compound with two figures joining her now. Billy quickly recognized Kl’rt, but the other man didn’t look familiar to him.

“You’re not the only one with friends, little witch,” said Veranke. “You’ve already met Kl’rt. And our new comrade is Kang.”

Kang smiled. “Truly a pleasure, Demiurge.”

Kl’rt huffed. “Is he even worthy of such a title?”

Billy brushed the blood away from his lip. “Oh, Kl’rt. Did you forget that I put you in your place when I knew nothing of my full potential.” He spread his hands out. Waves of scarlet energy washed over the memorial, breaking the statue apart. The monument to Iron Man, Black Widow, and the Vision started to float into the air as Billy launched the sculptures like missiles. 

Kl’rt grabbed the statue of the Vision with his hands as they turned into massive, rocky fists. Kang vaporized the sculpture of Black Widow with a miniature rifle. Meanwhile, Veranke leaped away from the statue of Iron Man.

Billy slammed his hand towards the ground. Cracks formed on the ceiling of the compound with structure starting to come tumbling down on them. 

Kl’rt grew twice his original size, further demolishing the compound.

Kang used his rifle and to blast Billy. It took everything Billy had to maintain a barrier around himself as he felt the insane level of power behind Kang’s laser bullets.

Veranke smirked as she stepped out from the rubble. “Kill the witch! The abomination must suffer.”

“Stop calling Dorrek that!” Billy screamed as he released the energy he used to shield himself. He generated a shockwave that repelled Veranke, Kl’rt, and Kang.

Billy nearly slumped to his knees as he felt his energy leaving him. He bit his tongue to pull himself back together as there wasn’t time for him to surrender. He needed to keep on fighting.

Billy waved his hands together to build more waves of scarlet energy, but his focus slowly faded along with his power.

Luckily, a star-shaped portal opened behind him. 

America and Noh-Varr stepped out. Noh-Varr blasted at them while also shooting at the compound to further destabilize the structure. More of the compound started to crumble, burying them before they could recover from Billy’s last attack.

America went over to wrap her arms around Billy as he started to slump over. “We got you, kid. Looks like we got here just in time.”

“How?” Billy tilted his head up. “How did you find me?”

Noh-Varr kept the guns blazing as he used himself as cover for Billy. “America and I landed together. We got word from the others that they’re regrouping with Wanda for the Sanctum. It’s secure enough for us.”

“Come on.” America effortlessly lifted Billy into her arms. “We’re getting you out of here before you manage to get into more trouble. Noh, move those tight buns.”

Noh-Varr smirked. “Yes, ma’am.”

They jumped into America’s star portal with it closing right behind them.

Veranke pushed herself out from the rubble and cursed them. She heaved several deep breaths before finally cracking a smile. “Run, little Avengers. It matters not. We’ll get to you soon enough. My spy will destroy you from the inside.”

*~*

The star portal opened in the foyer of the Sanctum Sanctorum. Noh-Varr stepped out first with America following as she still carried an exhausted Billy in her arms.

“Billy!” Teddy’s voice echoed across the Sanctum as he came running from the lounge. He took Billy out of America’s arms and carried him into the next room where everyone else waited.

“Carrying me across the threshold.” Billy chuckled as he rested his head against Teddy’s chest. “Good hubby.”

Teddy gently laid Billy on a sofa. Everyone else started to gather around with Wong rushing over to use healing magic. “What happened to him?”

“He got gang-banged,” said Noh-Varr.

America elbowed Noh-Varr in the ribs. “Crude, but basically. Billy fought that Super Skrull dude, some woman, and a dude in purple go-go, dancer boots.”

Nate’s eyes lit up. “Kang.”

“You know him?” asked America.

Nate fell silent. Cassie went over to hold his hand and whispered to him to explain everything. So Nate knew he had no other choice but tell the truth.

“I came back in time because of the danger Moridun possed to the timeline, but he wasn’t the real reason. I...I was visited by my future self, who wanted to make sure I become a villain.” Nate sighed. “The man that attacked Billy, Kang, he’s working with Veranke. I have no doubt he’s the one that organized this invasion. And, Kang, he’s my future self.”

“What?” 

Teddy squinted his eyes. “You’re the reason why this is happening? At least, partially.”

Nate slowly nodded. “Kang found me when we got separated. He tried to bring me back to the future when Cassie and Amadeus rescued me.”

“Kicked his ass too!” said Amadeus. 

“Not really.” Nate walked over to Teddy. “There’s more. Kang knows about your future, and he sees you as a threat because of how you can unify the Kree and Skrull. You see, Kang is known as Kang the Conqueror. His goal is to control all of reality: past, present, and future.”

Tommy crossed his arms over his chest. “And if Teddy unifies the Skrull and Kree, then he could hold off whatever forces Kang can muster.” 

Nate nodded. “I’m sorry. This is all my fault. If I hadn’t come to this time period.” 

“Kang would’ve come of his own will sooner or later.”

On the sofa, Billy stirred. He held onto his ribs as they still ached despite Wong’s healing. “I could feel Kang’s thoughts. They’re just as chaotic as Veranke’s.”

“Veranke?” said Teddy. “Is that the Skrull woman who attacked you?”

“Yup! And guess what, she was pretending to be Pepper for gods know how long.”

Wanda sighed. “Not Pepper.”

Billy leaned over on Teddy to get back on his feet. “Yeah. Where’s Strange? Shouldn’t he be helping us with this group meeting?”

Eli and Kate coughed. They pointed over to the next room.

They wandered there to find a Skrull bound with crimson-colored bands of magic. He wore Strange’s robes except for the Cloak of Levitation. In fact, the cloak floated freely as it watched the Skrull like a guard dog. 

“Oh!” America licked her lips. “Strange is a Skrull too.”

Wong sighed. “I’m ashamed for not realizing it sooner. It was a good thing Wanda was here when the imposter unmasked himself; otherwise, the Sanctum would’ve fallen.”

“I just happened to be in the neighborhood.” Wanda brushed her hair back. “We got bigger things to worry about. If this Kang is involved and Pepper is really Veranke, then we’re in deep trouble.”

“Basically, we’re fucked,” said Kamala.

“Language!” said Amadeus and Kate.

Riri clicked away on her gauntlet to open up a connection with J.O.N.A.S. “Well, while y’all do whatever it is your planning. I’m going to run through these calculations. I think there’s something we can do about the Dard’van that might help. Amadeus. Nate. Help me out.”

Amadeus and Nate followed Riri out of the room with Cassie behind them.

Eli took a seat. “What’s next? I get the Sanctum is secure, but we need to get on the offensive. Kang’s a time traveler; he can probably mess with the magic that protects this place.”

“We should check on New Asgard.” Kate dug her phone from her pocket. “If we could get some reinforcements.”

“Don’t bother.”

Stumbling into the room, Loki leaned against the doorway with his clothes torn and blood running down his body. He nearly dropped to the ground, but Noh-Varr caught him in the nick of time. 

“Gods! Loki.” Billy walked over. Scarlet light arose from his hand. “LokiBeHealed. LokiBeHealed.”

“Don’t waste your power on me, Demiurge.” Loki rested his head against Noh-Varr’s chest while brushing at Billy’s arm. “I’ll heal soon enough. You need your power to face bigger threats.”

Teddy shook his head. “New Asgard. Did it fall?”

Loki nodded sadly. “The Dard’van devastated the Asgardians and your Skrulls. The fake Thor didn’t hesitate to unleash more of his power. New Asgard is under the Dard’van’s control now. They even took Valkyrie and Foster prisoner.”

“What of the knights?” asked Teddy. “And my people?”

“Your knights live, but they’re in custody with the Skrulls that they didn’t kill.” Loki groaned as he demanded Noh-Varr to help him to the sofa. He took a seat and sank into the cushion where his body could get somewhat comfortable. “It’s not looking good for us out there, kids. I do hope you have a better plan for what we should do next.”

“We’re working on it,” said America.

“Goodie.” Loki closed his eyes and rested his head on the cushion. “Wake me up when you figure it out.”

*~*

Recovering from a humiliating battle, Veranke returned to the Dard’van mothership. She sat on her throne with her skin, slowly sealing the wounds on her body. Even with an accelerated recovery, the healing process was an unpleasant one.

Veranke would teach Billy a painful lesson the next time they crossed paths.

Dozens of eyes watched Veranke as they awaited her next command in their invasion. Kl’rt knelt before the throne, while Kang stood with his arms crossed.

“Where are we now in our conquest?” asked Veranke.

“Things are looking well despite the Young Avengers and their allies’ resistance,” said a Dard’van agent. “Most of the Earth nation’s already surrendered to us. Wakanda is on the verge of falling, while pockets of the United States are hesitant to fall in line.”

Another agent approached the throne but immediately knelt before Veranke. “I also have a report on New Asgard. Our forces have neutralized the Asgardians, and we’ve succeeded in detaining most of the abomination’s loyalists. However, we know there are more loyalists scattered across the world.”

Veranke nodded. “The loyalists will be dealt with soon enough. The prince brought a few thousand with him to the surface of this miserable planet, while those in orbit were crushed during our initial attack. The prince’s followers will either surrender or perish.”

“What would you have us do with those we presently detained, my queen?”

“Hold them, for now.” Veranke examined her nails for a moment. “We have bigger threats to concern ourselves with. I hear that Wanda Maximoff is with the Young Avengers. She must be neutralized by any means necessary, along with her whore of a son.”

Kang smirked. “Feeling a little sensitive, are we? William Maximoff really got under your skin.”

Veranke glared at Kang. “In case you forgot, Kang, the witch bested you in combat too. He faced the three of us and still lives.”

“He will be eliminated, my queen,” said Kl’rt as he stood. “I will gather the other Super Skrulls.”

“Good. Ah!” Veranke turned to her agents. “New Asgard fell. Does that mean we have Valkyrie and Foster in our possession?”

“Indeed, my queen. We also captured the one called Spider-Man.”

Veranke applauded. “Excellent! Prepare our agents to use their powers. Let’s throw as many Avengers as we can at the children. It’ll make it easier for us to claim the real prize.” Veranke pressed a key on the armrest of her throne. It activated a holographic image of Teddy. “The sooner we remove his allies, the sooner I can wrap my hands around Prince Dorrek’s neck. I cannot wait to drain the life from him.”

“The boy will die, my queen,” said K’lrt. 

Kang nodded as he turned away. He covered a smile into his tunic while basking in the joy of Veranke slipping down the mad path he designed. 

Kang found it almost comical how easily he could manipulate Veranke to follow this single-minded venture. It wouldn’t be long now before Teddy died, then Kang would remove Veranke from the chessboard too. 

Then, this era would fall to Kang’s rule, as did so many other eras.

*~*

Loki had the right idea when he crashed out on the sofa. 

Given the state of the world, everyone decided to take the time to get some sleep. The day turned out to be a complete disaster, so there was no point in trying to rush into another fight. They made themselves comfortable in the Sanctum so they could better prepare for the next battle.

Then, the morning came.

“Eureka!”

Riri ran into the foyer with everyone else slowly starting to join.

“What the hell!” Cassie rubbed her eyes. “Do you have any idea how early it is?”

“Don’t care.” Riri held her gauntlet up. “You can thank J.O.N.A.S. because we figured out our best way of identifying Dard’van. Well, Skrulls in general.” Riri started to activate her gauntlet to initiate her test. “Teddy, shift for us.”

Teddy raised his eyebrows. “Okay.” He exhaled with his body starting to shift. He reverted to his normal, Earthling disguise. “What’s your plan, Riri?”

Riri winked at him. “This!” She pointed at her gauntlet over at Tommy first. Tommy stood there then shrugged since he couldn’t see what the big deal was. Riri hushed Tommy before turning her gauntlet to Teddy. “I apologize in advance for this.”

“For?”

The gauntlet emitted a sharp, ringing sound that made Teddy drop to his knees. He couldn’t hold back his screams as he reverted to his Skrull form.

Riri quickly shut the sound off, while Billy rushed to Teddy’s side. “That’s our step one. Since I couldn’t study Skrull physiology directly, I had to wait until the Dard’van showed up before J.O.N.A.S. could read all the variables.”

Billy hugged Teddy as he slowly recovered from the screeching. “What variables? Speak in clear English, Riri.”

“There’s a sound frequency that Skrulls can’t tolerate,” said Riri. “When used directly on them, it causes them pain and disrupts their shape-shifting.” 

Amadeus nodded. “Which means we can start identifying Skrulls. We don’t have to wait for them to unmask themselves. And, we can further weaponize the frequency to neutralize the Dard’van Skrulls so we can get closer to the mothership.”

“At last!” Loki strutted across the foyer and blew a kiss at Riri. “Your beautiful brain provided us something useful.”

“I’m taking that as a compliment,” said Riri, “because otherwise, I’d have to punch you in the throat.” 

“So, we got a fighting chance now.” Kate smirked. “What next? We still have to rescue the Avengers before we can go after Veranke and Kang.” She felt her phone vibrate and went to check on it. She gasped as she read the text. “Not good.”

“What is it?” asked Eli.

Kate slid the phone back into her pocket. “Clint’s missing now too. Laura texted me that he disappeared sometime last night and left her with the kids and Morgan.”

“Let’s assume Clint’s a Skrull too,” said Tommy. “Until we can blast him with Riri’s sonic blast.”

Riri gave a thumb’s up.

“It won’t matter!” Skrull-Strange’s voice echoed from the other room. They all flooded the separate room as Skrull-Strange grinned at them. “The queen will take the throne. And she will do so after staining it with the false prince’s blood.” Skrull-Strange tilted his head back as he started to laugh. “How glorious it’ll be to see you die, abomination.”

Teddy frowned as he walked out of the room. Billy ran after Teddy.

Wanda snapped her fingers. Scarlet lights surrounded Skrull-Strange’s mouth to silence him from uttering another word.

*~*

Billy followed Teddy into the study. The room contained countless books and a few magical relics locked away in glass cases. One of the relics being the Sword of David that Billy used to kill Moridun. The sunlight peeked through thick, maroon curtains to offer gentle light for the room’s dark, wooden walls and the dark, mahogany furniture.

Teddy sat on a sofa with his legs curled against him.

“I’m sorry, babe,” Billy spoke softly as he sat beside Teddy. He gently massaged the back of Teddy’s neck. “I know how much it hurts for you to hear the Skrulls attack you like that. It’s really disgusting how poorly you’re treated.”

“You get used to it after a while,” Teddy whispered. “I just can’t help but feel like a failure. My moms wanted me to be a bridge, but all I’ve done since I was born further the divisions. The Dard’van. It’s my fault they even exist.”

“Not true at all.” Billy pulled his knees onto the sofa. He cradled Teddy’s face, gently, with his hands. “You have brought so many people together. Some Skrulls stand at your side. The Knights of the Infinite gladly gave their lives up for you. Noh-Varr is proof that the Kree can stand by your side. And, us. The Young Avengers started because of you. You’re the one that brought us together.”

Billy leaned in to kiss Teddy. “And, there’s me. Your husband. There would be no way we’d be married right now if you were a divider.” Billy looked Teddy in the eyes as he cracked a smile. “You bring everyone together without even trying, Teddy. It’s time you take that power and use it for real.”

Teddy closed his eyes. He thought about Billy’s words and couldn’t help but nod. “You’re right. I can do it. I can bring my people together and end this invasion.” Teddy smile as he pressed his body against Billy’s. He pushed them onto the sofa with them both giggling as they squeezed onto the tiny sofa as tightly as they could. “I don’t know where I’d be without you, Billy.”

“And you never have to worry about it because I’ll always be there.” Billy wrapped his arms around Teddy, holding him close. “We can do this, Teddy. Have a little faith in yourself, and in us, then we can make the impossible happen.”

“We will.” Teddy rested his head against Billy’s chest. “We will.”

Billy stroked Teddy’s hair. “Hey, Teddy, why do you blame yourself for the Dard’van? Didn’t they exist before your birth?”

“Kinda. The Dard’van started as religious enthusiasts of the old gods,” said Teddy, “but after my birth, they became extremists. They got so many supporters because that was around the time when the Kree-Skrull War ended. Soldiers who couldn’t give up fighting and the older children who wanted their honor in combat or just felt too humiliated with our status flocked to the Dard’van’s promise of restoring our old glory. Almost a quarter of the surviving Skrulls are loyal to Veranke. And those loyal to me are now rotting in dungeons.”

“We’ll free them, Teddy. I promise.”

Teddy nodded against Billy’s chest. “I know we will. But...I fear we’ll be too late. And even when we defeat the Dard’van, there will be those amongst my people who will become something far worse.”

“You can’t account for everyone’s decisions. Nor should you carry their actions on your shoulders.” Billy squeezed onto Teddy tighter. “Just do your best.”

“My best,” Teddy whispered. 

The click of a door interrupted the moment of respite for Billy and Teddy. 

They jumped from the sofa as they noticed the sound came from the front entrance. Everyone they knew was still inside the Sanctum, which was enough to raise some alarms. They worried that the Dard’van found their way into the Sanctum.

Running to the foyer, Teddy and Billy prepared for a battle only to find something else waiting for them. Instead of a horde of enemy Skrulls, they saw four familiar faces.

“Hello. Hello.” Nick Fury allowed the door to close behind him. He didn’t stand alone as he also had Maria Hill, Talos, and Soren with him. “You, kids, sure do know how to start intergalactic wars.”


	4. Lose Control

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Howdy, y'all! We're approaching the end of Young Avengers Assemble. And I wanted to take a second to say how much I appreciate y'all for sticking with me so far! 
> 
> Song title: "Lose Control" by Missy Elliott, Ciara, and Fatman Scoop.
> 
> Kudos and comments are always appreciated.

Chapter 4: Lose Control

Everyone gathered at the foyer of the Sanctum Sanctorum. 

Riri aimed the gauntlet at Fury and Hill to run a scan on them with J.O.N.A.S. to confirm they weren’t Skrulls. The scan came back negative, so they didn’t have to worry on that front. “All clear.” Riri scratched at her curls. “That’s the real Fury and Hill.”

“We don’t get scanned?” asked Talos.

Amadeus shrugged. “There isn’t really a point. We know you and Soren are Skrulls. Why waste the power?”

Soren chuckled. 

“Moving on.” Teddy crossed his arms over his chest. “What brings you here, Fury? It feels like you only decide to grace us when it’s convenient.”

“Yup.” Billy stood beside Teddy with his hands behind his back. “Thanks for helping us with the demon invasion or when a demon possessed me.”

Fury smirked. “Magic is beyond my area of expertise. I figured I wouldn’t step on Strange and Wanda’s toes.” Fury crossed through the foyer to spot Loki amongst the crowd. His gaze darkened with Loki returning a similar expression. With a single look, they expressed their dislike of one another.

Fury didn’t waste another second on Loki as he went into the parlor where the Skrull Strange remained bound. “Considering how dark the world’s become, I figured now would be the best time to get back involved. Oh! And congratulations on the nuptials.”

Hill rolled her eyes. She grabbed a tablet from her bag and started to enter a few keys. “You’re well aware of how bad things here are on the surface, but here’s an update off-world. Our S.W.O.R.D. facilities in orbit got completely demolished when the Dard’van arrived. It took everything we could do to evacuate everyone.”

“What do the casualties look like?” asked Eli.

“Only thirty percent.” Hill reviewed the numbers. “Correction, thirty-five. Some didn’t survive the landing. And as far as we can tell, the surviving Skrulls and our S.W.O.R.D. agents have been captured.”

“Along with our old S.H.I.E.L.D. agents.” Fury grabbed a bottle of scotch from the liquor cabinet and a few glasses. He poured glasses for himself, Talos, Soren, and Hill. “The few assets that we could still trust after Hyrda, now are prisoners of the Dard’van. And I hear some of our Avengers also are Skrulls.”

Talos took the glass and had a sip. “It’s a bad time to be a hero. I’m terrified to think what Veranke is up to. She...she was never this mad.”

“Our daughter’s truly lost her way,” Soren said, sadly.

Everyone frowned.

Nate bit on his lip. “It’s not just Veranke that we have to worry about, though. My future self, Kang, is here too. He’s working with Veranke to conquer Earth.”

“Kang?” Talos placed his glass on the table. “The Conqueror? I’ve heard whispers of him back when I was still a general. A century ago, he conquered a solar system under Kree control and even got on Thanos’s bad side.”

“Sounds like Kang.” Nate shuddered at the thought of all the horrible acts his future self committed. “He isn’t just settling for conquering Earth. He’s after Teddy, and he’s coming after me too.”

Talos passed the scotch over. “You need this more than I do, kid.”

Nate took a sip.

Wanda sighed as she leaned against the table. “Fury, what’s the plan? How do we stop the Dard’van and Kang?”

“Beats me.” Fury refilled his glass. “I prepared for this scenario, but my plans didn’t work. The Dard’van still caught us by surprise and took everything from us.” Fury took a long sip. He let out a deep breath. “I don’t know how to save our miserable world.”

“Then, it’s up to us.” Teddy walked out of the room. He kept a determined expression on his face, but the moment no one could see his face, he frowned. He cursed himself for bringing all this misfortune down upon the people he loved and the world that granted him shelter when he had nowhere else to go.

*~*

Tommy sat on the edge of a bed in one of the many guest bedrooms that the Sanctum created to accommodate all of its guests. He stared out the window of the bedroom. It didn’t show the wreckage of the city from the Dard’van invasion. Instead, it showed him a peaceful beach on some island in the Pacific.

Tommy sighed. What he would give to layout on a beach and let all his worries disappear with the tide. 

Hushed whispers echoed in the bedroom. Tommy could hear Kate and Noh-Varr talking about him as they pretended that he couldn’t hear them.

“Is he thinking?” asked Kate. “I didn’t think he could think so deeply.”

Noh-Varr leaned over to Kate. “Maybe he’s learned to sleep with his eyes open.”

Tommy threw the middle finger at them. “Don’t make me kick your asses.” The bed dipped as Kate and Noh-Varr climbed all over him. Kate wrapped her arms around Tommy’s shoulders, while Noh-Varr laid his head on his lap. Tommy smiled as he started to run his fingers through Noh-Varr’s hair while Kate laid kisses against his head.

“Why you look so miserable?” Kate pressed her head against the back of Tommy’s neck. “Alien invasion got you down?”

“I think it’s got everyone down.” Tommy kissed Kate’s arm. “You know, I actually got excited when Fury showed up. I thought he’d have all the answers, but it’s like he’s given up on saving Earth too.”

Noh-Varr yawned. “Can you blame the dude? He’s a spy-master, and he couldn’t prevent aliens from taking over the world from the inside. It’s got to be a major blow to his ego, especially given how spectacularly he failed with S.H.I.E.L.D.” Noh-Varr rolled over to so that he could get a good look at Tommy and Kate. Well, he mostly saw their nostrils since he was below them. “I could feel the pain. That’s how I was after you kicked my ass, and I got abandoned on Earth.”

“Didn’t you willingly desert the Kree, though?” asked Tommy.

Noh-Varr waved his hand. “Close enough. My point stands!”

Tommy chuckled. He ran a hand up and down Noh-Varr’s chest, feeling up on Noh-Varr’s flawless abs. He felt Kate squeeze him a little tighter with her breasts pressing against his back. “We need to figure out how to stop the Dard’van, but I got nothing in my head.” 

“Maybe you’ll figure something out after a nap.” Kate kissed Tommy’s head before rolling over to lay flat on her back. “There’s no point in us rushing into anything. We might as well be well-rested before we get into the next fight.”

“I like the way you think, Ms. Bishop.” Noh-Varr bounced his way to Kate and laid out on the bed. He rolled over just a bit to make sure there was plenty of room for Tommy in the middle. “Come on, babe. Let’s sleep these worries away. We can get away from the world’s problems, if only for a little while.”

Tommy smirked. He knew that he should be in a war room, coming up with the perfect plan to the Earth. However, his heart and brain couldn’t bring himself to do that. “Well, it’s getting late. We might as well get some rest.”

“Yay!” Kate and Noh-Varr welcomed Tommy into the middle. They cuddled closely together and allowed themselves to drift off to sleep.

*~*

In the kitchen, America sat with Kamala and Riri. America tore a loaf of bread but didn’t eat the bread. Instead, she left a pile of torn bread on the table. Kamala would grab the pieces of bread and stuff her face. Her eyes nervously darted around the table as her nerves got the best of her. Meanwhile, Riri continued to fiddle with her gauntlet. She made some minor adjustments to the potency of the frequency to maximize damage to enemy Skrulls. 

America glanced at her phone even though she didn’t know why. They had no signal, and it wasn’t like she could connect to the Internet. Nor did she really want to know how Ramona faired from the invasion, especially if she died. America settled on eating some of the bread. “Why are you still messing with it? Doesn’t it work now? You can chill.”

Riri shook her head. “Can’t chill. If I chill, then I start thinking about other things. And if I think about how much we’re fucked, then I’m going to lose my mind.”

Kamala stuffed her face with a few pieces of bread. “We’re fucked?” she said with a mouthful of food.

“Don’t talk with your mouth full,” said America. “Back to you, Riri, why do you think we’re fucked?”

Riri left her gauntlet on the table for a moment. “Aliens basically took over the Earth. And we’ve been declared public enemy number one. The odds are stacked against us. And short of Billy going full Demiurge, I can’t picture how we’ll get out of this one.”

“Demiurge,” whispered America. It still bothered her to think that the god she spent her childhood worshipping was some nerdy Jewish kid from the Upper East Side.

Kamala swallowed the bread. “When or how does Billy become Demiurge exactly?”

America rolled her eyes. She lost count how many times they asked this question. “No clue. No one at the Utopian Parallel knew Demiurge’s true origins. I only found out as much as I did about Billy by accident.” She grabbed her phone. Her eyes darted to the lock screen to show she had no notifications of any kind. “I hope she’s okay.”

“She who?” Riri started to mess with her gauntlet again. “The girl from the gay bar? She’s a cutie.”

“Hopefully, the Skrulls didn’t blow her up.” Kamala took a piece of bread only to have America swat her hand. Kamala quickly realized where she fucked up. “Sorry. I didn’t mean it like that.”

America allowed Kamala to take more bread. “It’s fine. Just...let’s avoid the death talk since we don’t know which of our friends and companions are dead or not.”

“Here, here!” agreed Riri.

Frantic stomping came into the kitchen. They looked up from the table to find Nate joining them with nasty, dark circles around his eyes.

Kamala tossed him a piece of bread. “Are you not getting any sleep? I’m sure Wong could fix you some magic tea to help with that.”

“It’s not that.” Nate held onto the bread for a second before popping it into his mouth. “America, do you know anything about Kang? Like how to defeat him.”

“Do I look like a history textbook to you people?” asked America. “You’re the one from the future. Shouldn’t you be telling us how to kick Kang’s ass?”

Nate sighed. “It’s hopeless. I really am doomed to follow Kang’s path.”

“Don’t say that,” said Kamala. “You don’t have to be Kang if you don’t want to.”

“But how?” Nate’s voice cracked. “Kang is my future. And with how deeply he’s messed with time, I can’t see how I’ll escape becoming him short of killing myself.”

Riri dropped her gauntlet on the table. “Nate, drop the suicide talk. We are not that desperate. We still have a chance to stop this invasion.”

America raised her eyebrows. “I thought you said we’re fucked.”

“I redid the math.” Riri tossed a piece of bread at America’s chest. “All we have to do is kick Veranke’s ass and protect you from Kang. That’s totally possible.” 

Nate frowned. “I’m not so sure. Kang can control my armor. He can make me do almost anything.” Nate pushed himself to his feet. He started scratching his head while walking out of the kitchen. “I can’t escape him.”

With Nate gone, Kamala frowned while she laid her head on the table. “Poor guy. I wish there were some way we could help him. Maybe Loki canー”

“Loki can’t!” Loki’s voice boomed from the other room. “Wait! What are you talking about?”

America rolled her eyes. “Nothing, Loki.”

*~*

Morning felt as though it came too quickly. 

Billy and Teddy pulled themselves away from each other’s embrace in their small bed. They hadn’t expected to spend so many nights as newlyweds in a state of war. They hoped that they would at least have the chance for a proper honeymoon instead of their current situation.

It didn’t take long for them to get ready. They joined the others as soon as they could in the kitchen to crush the feast assembled before them.

“Eat as much as you’d like.” Wong conjured a stake of pancakes and waffles onto the table. “If you’re going to face the Dard’van today, then you might as well do so on full stomachs.”

Amadeus grabbed the main dish of scrambled eggs for himself, prompting Wong to conjure another one. “You’re not joining us, Wong? What of the sorcerers?”

Wong shook his head. “Given that there is no time to test the sorcerers for Skrull agents, I must stay behind and guard the Sanctum. This type of chaos is something Dormammu, Nightmare, or Lilith would exploit to their advantage.”

Billy cringed at the mention of Mother’s real name. “Since I erased her son from existence, Lilith would choose now to strike.” He grabbed a bagel and started to apply some cream cheese. “Lucky for us that I made sure to send Lilith super deep into Hell. She shouldn’t bother us until we’re all in retirement homes.”

“Still. Precautions.” Wong grabbed the orange juice.

“Speaking of precautions.” Eli dipped his bacon into his leftover syrup. “We need a real plan. What’s our current situation with the Dard’van? Have they made any new moves we need to know about.”

“Wakanda’s fallen,” said Hill. “So we can’t rely on Shuri to back us up. I’m not sure if she was captured or not, but if she’s free, then she’ll be too busy leading the resistance.”

“That could still work to our advantage.” Tommy scooped a massive amount of eggs onto his plate before grabbing a few waffles. “If Shuri’s forces keep fighting, then that’ll keep some of the Dard’van off us. It would help more if New Asgard were in play, or if the other nations hadn’t surrendered to Veranke.”

Talos frowned. “I’m truly sorry, everyone. My daughter is responsible for all this misfortune. If Soren and I fought harder to keep her with us, then maybe none of this would be happening.”

“Now isn’t the time for guilt trips.” Kate chewed on a piece of fruit. “What’s done is done. We need to focus on now.”

Soren nodded. “She’s right, dear. We can only fix what’s happening now. Not the past.”

“But the past offers some help.” Fury finished scrolling through his tablet. “I traced the signal of an old S.H.I.E.L.D. facility that should be operational. We can use whatever resources are there to help us.”

“We could use all the help we can get.” Kamala sipped her orange juice. “So...the plan. Are we going to space to kick bad-guy butt?”

“That’s part of it,” said Fury. “It’s a bit more complicated than that.”

America rolled her eyes. “Isn’t it always.”

Chuckles echoed across the table. For a brief moment, they forgot about the war hanging over their heads to appreciate the banter. 

However, their joy would come to a crashing halt. 

The kitchen door got pulled from its hinges. The Skrull-Strange remained bound, but it regained enough freedom to use some of the magic it channeled from the real Strange.

“You won’t defeat our great queen!” Skrull-Strange stumbled after them. “She will dance on your graves! And she will bathe in your blood. Andー”

Loki kicked his chair back. “Oh, fuck off!” Waves of green energy arose from Loki’s body that he hurled directly at Skrull-Strange. The blast of magic tossed Skrull-Strange against a wall, instantly knocking it out. Loki brushed the residual energies from his coat and went back to his chair. He grabbed himself a few pieces of sausage. “Well, that was an unnecessary interruption.”

Billy bit his tongue. He forced himself up and went over to Skrull-Strange’s body.

“Billy?” Teddy started to walk after him. “What are you doing?”

“Getting some answers.” Billy knelt over to the unconscious Skrull-Strange. His hands began to glow with magic as he laid hands upon Skrull-Strange. “ShowMeYourMemories. ShowMeYourMemories. ShowMeYourMemories.” His eyes started to glow white from the energy he generated from the spell.

Skrull-Strange released a soft breath.

Images flashed before Billy’s mind. It didn’t take much effort on his part to sort through everything. All of Skrull-Strange’s thoughts started to line up perfectly. Billy got all the information he needed, so he severed the psychic link between them. But, furthermore, Billy also took the time to break the Skrull’s link with Strange.

Skrull-Strange began to mutter words that made no coherent sense. 

Wanda tilted her head as she sensed a mystical disturbance. “What did you do?” 

“Made him not a threat. We can lock the fake in the Mirror Dimension now. He’s got no magic to fight with.” Billy ran his fingers through his hair. “I also know where our friends are. Everyone is on Veranke’s ship. We also have Dard’van forces gathering around D.C.”

“Why D.C.?” asked Cassie.

“A center of power.” Teddy shook his head. “This is an old, Skrull strategy for taking over a world. After the infiltration, we would demolish a center of power. It would represent the death of the old order and the start of the Skrull rule.” 

Talos sighed. “Veranke really is bringing the old ways back.”

“I guess that means we need to get going to the S.H.I.E.L.D. facility,” said Tommy.

Nate frowned from the thought. He preferred to stay in the safety of the Sanctum, but knew that wasn’t a real option for him. “That means I’ll have to face Kang soon.”

“Not alone, though.” Noh-Varr raised his orange juice to Nate. “You got friends to help kick your evil self’s ass.”

Riri nodded. “I’ll check on the upgrades I did on J.O.N.A.S. before we leave.”

“I’ll help!” Amadeus jumped from the table and followed Riri out after he snatched the dish of pancakes from everyone else.

*~*

New Jersey hardly seemed like the best place for a secret facility, but they trusted Fury. 

The portal opened in southern New Jersey. They stood on a grassy field on an undeveloped plot of land. There didn’t appear to be any sign of life for miles.

Eli unhooked his shield from his back. “Fury, you sure that this S.H.I.E.L.D. facility still exists?”

“Of course I do.” Fury walked onto the field and grabbed a small remote from his pocket. He clicked the button with the ground starting to part open.

Everyone backed away as the hangar door opened that led them to an underground tunnel. They didn’t hesitate now in following Fury down the hangar where they found a pair of Quinjets docked.

Fury activated the facility with Hill’s help. The place roared with life as they made their rounds to check on how well the Quinjets functioned. 

After a few minutes of investigating, they could confirm that everything still worked.

“Now, for the hard part.” Fury gathered everyone at the center of the hangar, where they created a make-shift command center. He pointed over to a monitor that projected a holographic map of Washington, D.C. “Thanks to Billy, we know there’s a Dard’van command ship in D.C. that serves as the main communication line. We also know that Veranke’s ship is in orbit, and that’s where she’s holding the Avengers prisoner. Our best bet at crushing this invasion is if we approach this on two fronts.”

Nate frowned. “If we’re going to pull this off, then we need to divide our forces.”

“Which puts us in greater danger too,” said Kate. “How do we do this?”

“Keep the teams as balanced as possible,” said Tommy. “We know the Skrull-Avengers are on Earth, and we can probably bet that we’ll run into Kang or Kl’rt too.”

“Whereas Veranke will have a horde of Skrulls guarding her on the ship.” Riri clicked her tongue. “Which is exactly where Teddy and Billy need to be. I’ll stick with the Earth team. I can use my armor to create the sound frequency that Skrulls hate.”

Nate nodded. “I’ll stay here too. My armor can do the same.”

Eli clapped. “I’ll stay on Earth too. Someone’s got to lead this gang of misfits. Who else is with us?”

“You’ll need someone with real power.” Wanda walked over to Eli. Her cloak swaying. “I can ensure your safety.”

“Count me in, too!” said Amadeus.

“Same here.” Kate clung onto her bow.

Noh-Varr saluted them. “I’m in the mood for kicking some ass. Stealth missions were never my favorite thing.”

Tommy smirked. He walked over to kiss Kate and Noh-Varr. “I guess that puts me on team space. 

“Space sounds cool,” said Kamala.

“My shrinking skills might help us,” said Cassie.

America nodded. “And we’ll need someone who can portal us in and out. And we should probably take the trickster with us too.”

Loki smirked. “Oh, you love me, America. Admit it.”

“We’ll accompany you too.” Soren grabbed a gun.

Talos held the gun he took from the S.H.I.E.L.D. armory. “Veranke...she’s our problem. We need to deal with her.”

Hill nodded. “Fury and I will work with the Earth team.”

Billy turned to Teddy. “It’s decided. Should we go now?”

“Yeah,” Teddy spoke sadly as he stared at all his friends. He smiled at them while taking a mental snapshot to capture this moment of them together. “No matter what happens, we will see each other again soon. Nobody dies.”

Everyone agreed.

Fury grabbed his gun and approached a Quinjet. “Alright, boys and girls. You got your assignments. Now, let’s avenge the Earth.”

*~*

The Quinjet’s engine roared as Talos and Soren flew into orbit. The space team braced themselves for the painful acceleration.

Teddy dug his hands into the handles of his chair. He didn’t do so because he was in pain, but rather his nerves got the best of him. He didn’t want to see his friends get hurt because of this war. They shouldn’t pay the price for him existing. 

“Entering orbit in three, two, one!” said Soren.

“Engaging reflectors,” said Talos.

Space greeted their team. 

In orbit, they could see from the monitors the wreckage of the S.W.O.R.D. facilities and Dard’van ships. 

Loki whistled. “Odin’s beard. The fact that you, lot, survived is a true miracle.”

“It was a pretty close call.” Talos steadied the Quinjet as he steered it towards the massive flagship of the Dard’van forces. “It’ll take us an hour, so brace yourselves. If we get spotted, can our mages teleport us inside?”

“Sure,” said America. “I got that part covered.”

Cassie crossed her fingers. “Don’t let us down, America. We’re counting on you.”

Billy reached over to hold Teddy’s hand. “We got this,” he whispered. “It’ll be okay.”

Teddy nodded. “It’ll be okay.”

“Or we all die,” Kamala said, nervously.

“Don’t jinx us,” said Tommy. “Keep it together, people.”

*~*

At Washington D.C., the Earth team prepared to make their move. The ship and signal they followed took them to the National Mall. A massive ship hovered over the Reflecting Pool with Dard’van agents openly guarding the area.

Rising from the pool, a crimson orb on the top of the tower produced a massive amount of energy that left Riri and Nate’s sensors to go wild.

Riri crouched low with the rest of the team as J.O.N.A.S. came live on their communicators. “I concluded that tower is a critical lifeline for the invasion,” said J.O.N.A.S. “Destroy the tower and you will hobble the Dard’van forces.”

“Hobble, but not dismantle?” Amadeus ran a few calculations in his head. “It’s a start. We still need Team Space to do their part.”

Riri nodded. “The Dard’van can easily rebuild a tower. It won’t end until Veranke is defeated.”

Eli unhooked his shield from his back. “Well, I guess that means we know our role to play. Aside from destroying the tower, we need to focus on being the distraction. Create all the havoc you can, team. We need to direct the Skrull forces to us.”

“Really? Here?” Fury drew a gun from his coat. “You want to risk destroying the Mall?”

“It’s just monuments. The people matter more.” Eli tightened the straps from his shield to his arm. “We’re doing more than fighting for freedom. We’re saving everyone.”

Kate smirked. “Spoken like a true Patriot.”

Noh-Varr cracked his knuckles. “Let’s kick some ass.”

“Spread out.” Wanda began to work her magic. “If we work in groups, then we can further divide their forces. It should make things easier on us.”

“Easy sounds good,” said Hill. 

Nate took a deep breath. He activated his armor and braced himself for whatever would come next. “I guess that means we’re assembling.”

Eli patted Nate’s armored back. “Say it with gusto.” 

Wanda created a portal to divide them into two teams. Fury took Kate, Amadeus, and Riri with him. The portal teleported them on the opposite end of the Reflecting Pool.

“Comms operational,” J.O.N.A.S.’s voice came through their communication link.

Eli turned to Wanda. “Do you think you can give us a big distraction?”

“Of course.” Wanda’s eyes started to flash scarlet. She disappeared, leaving Eli behind with the rest of their team.

In a second, scarlet energy washed over the Reflecting Pool with Wanda returning to the Mall.

Wanda effortlessly captured the attention of the Dard’van agents. They started to open fire on her, but she repelled their attacks and blasted them with bolts of chaos energy.

Mystical explosions ignited at the Mall, which was all the signal their teams needed. Eli called for a charge.

“Avengers, Assemble!”

A battle soon escalated. More explosions occurred across the Mall with the Dard’van agents appearing surprised that the Young Avengers would be so bold to attack here.

Nate flew across the sky. He blasted incoming Dard’van agents with his repulsor blasts. He could notice Riri and Noh-Varr on his sensors. Noh-Varr performed a trick they hadn’t seen before.

Noh-Varr grew his nails slightly then broke it. He tossed the nail to a group of Dard’van. The nail exploded and took a sizeable chunk of the Dard’van with it.

“Since when are your fingernails grenades?” asked Riri.

Noh-Varr landed on a Dard’van. He grew his nails a bit more to slice its throat. “It’s a trick I save for special occasions. You dig it?” Noh-Varr jumped off the dying Dard’van to fly onto his next target.

Riri blasted a group of Dard’van with a sonic frequency. “It’s disgusting!”

The Dard’van Skrulls collapsed from the air as the sound destabilized their sense, which left them unable to fly.

From his vantage point, Nate could spot the others holding their own.

Eli smashed the faces of a couple of Dard’van Skrulls. Eli twisted his body around to build momentum so he could kick anyone down, while Hill acted as his backup. She would cover his back and shoot down anyone that got too close. When a Skrull did get too close, she smashed its face in with the butt of her gun.

Down the opposite end of the Reflecting Pool, Fury did a good job of holding his own. Fury dodged many hits before returning fire on the Skrulls. He stuck close to Kate, who also served as backup, but only in theory.

Kate acted with the precision of a master assassin. She smashed the Asgardian bow into the chest of a Skrull before stabbing it in the back with an arrow. She tossed it to the ground before tripping another with the bow.

Amadeus used himself as a battering ram to take down as many Skrulls he could in the area. He would charge headfirst into any fight before getting a bit more sophisticated. He slammed his hands together to generate a sonic boom that knocked everyone in the immediate area down.

In the meantime, Nate swooped lower. He manipulated his armor to unleash a sonic soundwave based on Riri’s frequency. He amplified it to cover more of the Mall so that it would hurt more of the Dard’van. He focused on giving their team the best advantage possible, and if it meant hitting the Dard’van with a super dog whistle, then so be it.

However, as Nate worked on amplifying the signal further, his armor started to react negatively to him.

Nate crashed to the ground. His sensors went utterly haywire, leaving him screaming within his suit.

“Nate! Nate! I’m here.” Eli crouched over to Nate and tried to pull the armor from him.

“It won’t help him.”

A cold, deep voice echoed over the Mall. Eli looked up to find Kang entering the battlefield with the Skrull-Avengers with him. A new batch of Skrulls replaced the ones Wanda killed with the Skrull-Thor appearing to lead them. Skrull versions of Jane, Brunnhilde, T’Challa, Okoye, Peter, Rhodey, and Sam joined too.

Eli left Nate screaming in his armor. They now had more significant problems to contend with. “Great! Just what we needed.” Eli raised his shield. “Another war with the Avengers.”

Kang smirked, please to know how easy it would be to crush his new foes. A purple helmet formed to cover his face with a blue, see-through mask. “Skrulls, assemble.”

*~*

The space Quinjet braced itself for a rough landing. The Dard’van flagship, Tarnax II, activated its tractor beams. They knew that they wouldn’t have the element of surprise on their side, especially now that they got word of the Earth team fighting.

However, they did have one trick up their sleeve.

The tractor beams pulled the Quinjet into the hangar. Dard’van fighters flooded the hangar in preparation to capture their unwanted guests. The Quinjet doors opened with no one aboard the ship.

Then, a star-shaped portal opened over the ceiling. Within seconds, the space team appeared in the hangar to demolish their rude hosts.

America flew out the portal to strike the biggest Skrull she could find with a mighty punch. The force behind her blow sent the Skrull flying across the hangar, demolishing a door upon impact.

Laser fire assaulted the space team, but the team had it covered.

Tommy ran with enough speed to walk on the walls and ceiling. He raced across the hangar to disarm and knock out as many Skrulls as he could. He bashed their faces in with an elbow to the face, which reduced some of the gunfire.

Billy utilized some gun control on the Skrulls too. He flicked his wrists to disarm the other Skrulls that Tommy couldn’t get to with waves of scarlet energy turning the guns to ash. He flicked his wrists once more to unleash a telekinetic blast that hurled some against the wall.

Kamala landed on an elevated platform with Cassie. Kamala stretched her arms out to punch a pair of Skrulls before they could get any closer. Cassie charged after another group of Skrulls. She quickly shrank down to disorient the Skrulls before growing back to normal size to take them down.

Loki yawned. He showed no interest in the fight, but he wasn’t about to disappoint anyone. He conjured a green fireball that he hurled at the Skrulls. The fireball erupted and left the Skrulls screaming in agony.

Meanwhile, Teddy flew with Talos and Soren, joining him on an elevated walkway. Teddy pummeled as many Skrulls as he could. He elected not to use Excelsior to face his people but would save it for Veranke.

Talos and Soren proved how capable they were on the battlefield. They hit hard and fast, cracking many skulls to takedown as many Skrulls nearby as they could.

The remaining Dard’van Skrulls began to regroup, while many remained behind to fight.

Billy sealed one of the exits with magic since he didn’t want Veranke to count on too many of her forces. “We need to find the Avengers! And stop Veranke.”

Tommy tripped a Skrull. “That means splitting up. How do we want to do this?”

“Kamala and I are on team retrieval.” Cassie jumped from the platform.

“I’ll go with you too,” said Billy. “My magic will be all the support our group needs. The rest of you should go after Veranke. Who knows how many Skrulls she’s gathering to beef up her defenses.”

Teddy kicked a Skrull out of his way so that he could properly reunite with Billy. “You sure? I don’t like the thought of us getting further separated.”

Billy placed his hands on Teddy’s face before standing on the tips of his toes to plant a firm kiss on Teddy’s lips. “This is all on you now. End this war, Prince Charming.” He gave Teddy another kiss. “I’ll go rescue our friends.”

Teddy closed his eyes and smiled. “I’ll come back to you, Billy. I promise.”

“I’m counting on it.” Billy ran off with Kamala and Cassie.

America slugged another Skrull across the face. “We’ll need to protect the hangar too. It’s our best way out, especially if Billy’s can get the Avengers.” She cracked her knuckles. “I can defend this place.”

“Not without help.” Tommy ran over to America. “I’ll provide backup.”

Loki clapped his head. “I guess I’ll join the prince and his foster parents. Come now, we got a big bad to put in her place.”

Talos rolled his eyes. “She’s still my daughter. Don’t be too awful, Loki.”

“She’s led an invasion, taken over Midgar, and defeated most of the Avengers,” said Loki. “Not even I succeeded in doing that.”

Soren chuckled. “Maybe you weren’t trying hard enough.” 

Loki glared, but Teddy reminded Loki that he was on their team.

Teddy grabbed Excelsior as he led his group down another wing of the ship.

*~*

The invisibility spell wore off. 

Billy led his squad into a cold chamber where they heard the constant beep of monitors. He carefully walked over the metal floors with Cassie and Kamala, walking closely behind him.

The lab they entered was multi-floored and took up a considerable section of the ship. They assumed the Dard’van conducted all their experiments in this lab. Cold mist floated over the floor to give a very sterile impression that left nothing warm behind. The dimly lit facility did nothing to help in providing any comfort. They knew something awful potentially awaited them, so they steeled their nerves to brace themselves for the worst.

They did everything they could to make as little noise as possible. Their mission was simple but crucial. If they could find and free the Avengers, then the Dard’van would lose the bulk of their firepower.

Kamala stretched her body slightly to get a peek ahead. So far, she couldn’t spot any Skrulls, which she wasn’t sure if that was a good or bad sign.

Cassie shrunk down to slip between the gaps of a wall. Since she was so small, no one could hear her gasp. She quickly rejoined Billy and Kamala as she whispered the news. “They’re here.”

Treading carefully, they walked around the corner to find several containment units. Inside each unit was an Avenger, and one even included Pepper.

“Mercy. They’re all here,” whispered Kamala as she stared at Carol’s containment unit.

Billy stared at the monitor that recorded Bruce’s health. “How do we get them out? This is your field of expertise, Cas.”

Cassie nodded. “On it.”

“No, you’re not.”

The clang of footsteps against the metal floors echoed. They spun around to find nothing until a shift in light revealed a pair of invisible figures. The Dard’van Skrulls came into proper view. They raised their hands to unleash streams of intense fire.

Billy threw his arms to conjure a protective barrier.

More footsteps echoed across the lab and on the upper floors. Over a dozen more Dard’van Skrulls appeared, and all of them came armed for battle.

“It’s an ambush!” screamed Kamala.

*~*

Teddy’s team had a strong hunch that they knew where to find Veranke waiting for them. Except for Loki, they were familiar with the layout of Skrull ships. They expected to find Veranke in either the command center or audience chamber. And as they took down a few more Dard’van Skrulls in the hallways of Tarnax II, they noticed the closer they got to the audience chamber, the more Skrulls that they encountered.

They didn’t hesitate to break into the audience chamber where dozens of Skrulls assembled to guard Veranke, who sat on a cold, metallic throne.

Veranke smirked. “Finally! The false prince presents himself to the rightful Queen of Skrulls. Now, it is time for you to die. Tell your allies to surrender and I may show them mercy.”

Teddy drew Excelsior from his back. The sword glowed with bright-blue energy that grew brighter the closer he got to Veranke. “No! I am here to put an end to your absurdity, Veranke! I don’t care if you few me as an illegitimate ruler! I don’t care what grudges you have against me! But I will not allow you to get away with hurting the people of Earth!”

Veranke tossed her head back with a cold laugh echoing in the chamber. “I intend to make the Earth the new heart of the Skrull Empire, where our blood rules over these inferior lifeforms. And you, false prince, you would stand for the Earthlings instead of the Skrulls?”

“Enough of this, Veranke!” Talos’s voice boomed. He clenched his fists while glaring at Veranke. “We do not need war! Earth has already welcomed us and granted us a new home. This invasion you started is unnecessary. Our people were doing fine!”

“Father.” Veranke shook her head as she spoke with a softer tone. “It is sad to see our great general become reduced to a pathetic pacifist.”

Talos dug his nails into his hands. “Veranke.”

Teddy didn’t care any longer. He decided to finish this war. He charged towards Veranke and swung Excelsior in her direction only to hit what felt like a brick wall. Well, he didn’t hit a brick wall. It felt more like the brick wall hit him.

Teddy slid away from Veranke with a bruise forming on his chest. His vision blurred for a split second before a figure appeared.

Kl’rt stood between Teddy and Veranke. Cracks formed along his green skin as his body acquired a new texture. His skin hardened to resemble the brick wall that Teddy felt. “You’ve learned nothing since we last fought, false prince.” Kl’rt’s body softened as he regained his normal physiology. 

Teddy spat blood. He lifted Excelsior. “I’ve learned a lot and gotten stronger. You have no clue what I’m capable of now!” Teddy charged at Kl’rt and swung Excelsior with Kl’rt hardening his fist to prevent Excelsior from cutting him.

Sparks flew from the impact. Kl’rt barely repelled the damage from Excelsior, which frightened him as he hadn’t encountered anything that could cut him. Kl’rt knew he needed to use caution when repelling another of Excelsior’s attacks.

Teddy noticed the cuts forming along Kl’rt’s rocky form. He pulled Excelsior back then took another swing with Kl’rt catching it with his other hand. Kl’rt tried to break Excelsior, but the sword was too powerful to get cut by conventional means.

As their battle continued, Loki pulled a knife from his coat pocket. “I love watching throne fights, but this is going on for far too long. I’m putting a stop to it!”

However, Loki didn’t get the chance to aid Teddy. An electrical current surged throughout Loki’s body as he gave a painful scream. The electrical current proved strong enough to leave even a god, such as Loki, unconscious on the ground.

Talos spun around with his dark eyes widening. “No! Soren…”

Soren stood over Loki. She had an alien-looking taser in hand that she indeed used to strike Loki down. She bore a frown on her face as she met Talos’s gaze. “Forgive me, Talos. But I’m doing this for our family.”

Even Teddy noticed that Loki fell from Soren’s trickery. At the moment that Teddy had his back turned, Kl’rt had the perfect chance to strike. Kl’rt slammed his fist against Teddy’s chest and sent Teddy crashing to the ground. Teddy also lost his grip over Excelsior as he was left in an incredibly vulnerable position.

Kl’rt stretched his limbs to wrap Teddy in a tight grip, preventing him from wiggling his way to freedom.

“Always keep your eyes on your opponent,” said Kl’rt. “You’d know that if you were a true Skrull.”

Teddy’s eyes fluttered open.

Laughter echoed across the chamber. Veranke stood from her throne as she brought her hands together, while the other Skrulls bowed before her presence. “Oh, thank you, mother. If it weren’t for your devotion, then I wouldn’t have set the best traps for the false prince and the Avengers. And now, it’s finally time.”

Veranke drew a blade of her own. “It’s time to execute the false prince.”


	5. To be Human

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> We're one chapter away from the finale! I hope you've been enjoying this ride so far. As for today's song choice, it is "To be Human" by Marina. Love her!
> 
> Kudos and comments appreciated.

Chapter 5: To be Human

Lightning flashed over the National Mall before coming crashing down. The combined assault of Skrull-Thor and Skrull-Jane proved a significant problem for Wanda, while she attempted to fend them both. A wall of scarlet-pink energy covered Wanda before she got electrocuted to death.

Wanda’s knees buckled. Her hands trembled as she struggled to maintain her barrier. 

“Keep fighting,” Wanda said to herself. “Have to take out the tower!”

Skrull-Thor and Skrull-Jane flew directly to Wanda. Since there was no longer a need for disguises, the Skrulls impersonating her companions revealed themselves as they maintained control over the real Thor and Jane’s powers. 

They wielded Stormbreaker and Mjolnir without any trouble. They slammed their weapons against Wanda’s barrier, which proved the superior powers. The barrier crumbled with Wanda repelled towards the Reflecting Pool.

Wanda stumbled to her feet to continue her resistance no matter how futile.

Around her, the Young Avengers and their allies didn’t fare much better. 

Skrull-Bruce threw Amadeus into the Reflecting Pool. He shoved Amadeus deeper into the water, attempting to drown him. Amadeus put up a hell of a fight but could feel the last of the precious air escape his lungs.

Luckily, a stray repulsor blast from Riri saved Amadeus. Above them, Riri avoided attacks from Skrull-Rhodey and Skrull-Carol. Riri would shoot repulsor blasts to stun them but missed. It was one of the missed repulsor blasts that struck Skrull-Bruce’s back.

The blast stunned Skrull-Bruce for a split second and distracted him, which was all that Amadeus needed to save himself. Amadeus pushed himself to the surface and took a deep breath before smashing his fist across Skrull-Bruce’s face to send him flying. However, Amadeus’s victory was short-lived as Skrull-Jen came after him next.

Eli blocked Skrull-T’Chala’s claws. The vibranium claws and shield created a minor shockwave that left both stumbling. It took Eli a moment longer to recover, which was all Skrull-T’Chala needed to take control of their fight. Skrull-T’Chala slashed at Eli’s chest, not deep enough to leave a fatal wound, but went deep enough to cut through Eli’s uniform.

Part of Eli’s chest was left exposed, making him all the more vulnerable in their fight.

Kate struggled in dealing with her vulnerability too. Even with her combat training, she barely kept up with Skrull-Bucky’s attacks. Both Bucky’s combat knowledge and the Skrull’s training proved difficult for Kate to maintain the remotest advantage in the fight. She used her Asgardian bow to defend herself in the fight as she tried to swat away Skrull-Bucky’s punches.

Gunfire echoed across the mall, while Fury and Hill got caught in their fight.

Skrull-Peter couldn’t exploit his web-slinging, but it didn’t mean he was defenseless. His heightened agility and strength made him a significant enough threat. Fury did everything he could to prevent Skrull-Peter from getting too close as he shot at everywhere Skrull-Peter landed. Fury needed to keep Skrull-Peter in constant motion so that his powers and webbing proved ineffective.

Meanwhile, Hill got caught in a deadly tango with Skrull-Okoye. Hill struggled to find any opening to shoot Skrull-Okoye as Skrull-Okoye wielded the vibranium spear with perfect precision. Skrull-Okoye nearly tore Hill to shreds several times over. Hill relied on pure luck at this point to avoid getting stabbed in the chest.

Noh-Varr didn’t have it any easier. He fended off Skrull-Sam and Skrull-Brunnhilde at once, with the both of them testing the full extent of his Kree training.

The vibranium shield sailed across the air with Noh-Varr jumping over the shield at the perfect second. He bounced over the shield, using it as a springboard to give him some type of momentum to shoot them both from above.

The laser fire proved ineffective as both were quick enough to dodge Noh-Varr’s attacks. His feet touched the ground, which caused Skrull-Brunnhilde to pounce. She cut the air with her sword, forcing Noh-Varr to fall on the defensive to avoid getting hit. Her assault granted Skrull-Sam the moment he needed to reclaim the vibranium shield.

Skrull-Sam plucked his shield and joined in to surround Noh-Varr from both sides. Noh-Varr swatted the shield then sucked in his chest to narrowly avoid the sword. He moved smoothly to blast Skrull-Sam in the face, but Skrull-Brunnhilde slashed at his hand to disarm him of his other blaster.

Everyone struggled in their fights with it becoming apparent that everyone was seconds away from losing.

The other Skrulls watched, delighted, to see what remained of Earth’s heroes fall.

Nate was the only one unable to put up a fight as Kang deactivated his armor once more. He sat on his knees with tears pouring down his face. He couldn’t believe how horrible things became and hated how powerless he was when the others needed him most.

Kang laughed at Nate’s misery. He placed a hand over Nate’s shoulder, squeezing onto it tightly. “Don’t waste your tears for them, Nathaniel. They are unworthy of your sympathy.” Kang bore a smile as he witnessed Skrull-Carol blast Riri from the sky, while Skrull-Bruce and Skrull-Jen quickly kicked Amadeus’s ass. “We are conquerors. This is what happens when mere mortals interfere with Kang’s destiny.”

Nate shook his head. He glared at Kang, while he continued to cry. “What is wrong with you? How could I grow up to become someone as heartless as you? There is no humanity in the monster I become.”

“No. There’s not.” Kang pulled Nate to his feet. “Humanity is for the weak. And we are Kang. If only you accepted that fact, then you wouldn’t have unleashed all this misery upon those you claim to care for.” Kang cracked a devious smile while continuing to make eye contact with Nate. “Their pain. Their deaths. It all rests your shoulders, Nathaniel.”

Nate tried to kick Kang in the shin, but Kang tossed him to the ground as he continued to laugh.

*~*

Talos stared wide-eyed and heartbroken to learn of Soren’s betrayal as Loki remained unconscious on the ground. Talos placed a hand over his heart while tears escaped from his dark eyes. “Soren, how could you? After everything we’ve fought for.”

Soren walked over to Veranke while avoiding Teddy’s tortured gaze as Kl’rt continued to restrain him. Soren stood at Veranke’s side but didn’t appear as happy as a mother reunited with her child should. “That’s exactly why I did this, Talos. We sacrificed so much, and for what? It cost us our daughter. I will do whatever is necessary to save our family.”

Talos frowned. “Even if it means killing our prince? Mar-Vell’s son? Did you forget everything that Mar-Vell did to protect you and Veranke? And what of Anelle! She did so much for our family!”

“It doesn’t matter anymore, Talos!” cried Soren. “I just want my family back.” Tears poured from her eyes while her body trembled. The pain in heart slowly tore her to shreds both from the guilt of betraying Talos and Teddy, but also from the heartache she kept hidden for all these years. “Losing Veranke left a hole in my heart. I tried to fill it. I tried to ignore it. But I can’t any longer, Talos. I want my daughter back, and I will do whatever it takes.”

Veranke placed a hand over Soren’s shoulder and leaned over so that they could touch foreheads. A tear also escaped from Veranke’s eye, but she wouldn’t allow such emotion to overwhelm her judgment or her own desire to see her family restored. “You made the right choice, mother. Father will come around, eventually.” She took a soft breath. She walked away from Soren to approach Kl’rt and Teddy. The brief look of sorrow she had became one of fury as she stared at Teddy. 

The sword dangling from Veranke’s hand glistened against the reflecting lights of the chamber. “Finally, it is time to eliminate all obstacles for the Skrull people.” Veranke knelt to get closer to Teddy as Kl’rt gave Veranke a clear path to Teddy’s vital organs. “The Skrull and Kree people can never live in harmony. There can only be one race.”

Teddy groaned from Kl’rt’s continued effort to restrain his body. No matter how hard Teddy fought, he couldn’t find a way to break free. “Veranke, it doesn’t have to be like this. This fighting is pointless. Our people deserve to live peacefully!”

Veranke smiled. “You’re right about that, Prince Dorrek. Our people do deserve peace.” She drove the sword through Teddy’s chest. He spat up blood over her shoulder, which she didn’t appear to mind. “And they will have it once you are dead.”

Teddy gasped when Veranke removed the sword from his chest. He trembled against Kl’rt while feeling the blood gushing from the wound and his vision becoming blurry.

Veranke got on her feet and tossed the sword. “Now, while the false prince dies, we can focus on conquering this world and making it the seat of the new Skrull Empire!” Veranke embraced the cheers of the Dard’van Skrulls. She smiled as she turned to one of her many advisors. “What of the pretender’s allies? Have they been dealt with?”

“Yes, my queen,” said an advisor. “We received word that all the intruders have been captured, including the false prince’s consort.”

“Marvelous,” hissed Veranke.

The words of the advisor echoed in Teddy’s mind as he slowly became delirious. Kl’rt finally released Teddy as it wouldn’t be much longer until he died. 

Teddy fell to the floor with his body struggling to heal itself, given the damage Veranke did to vital organs. “Billy…” Teddy whispered as everything started to go dark.

Teddy could only pray that he’d reunite with Billy soon if Death were kind to them.

*~*

“Keep injecting him!” hissed a Super Skrull.

The battle proved a failure as the Skrulls reported to Veranke. The Skrulls overwhelmed Billy, Cassie, and Kamala. Even though the Skrull forces were weaker, they did enough damage to the trio and eliminated the only other threat.

Cassie and Kamala got locked in a pair of pods. The cryo-freeze process already begun, leaving them in an unconscious slumber that there was no hope from them returning. 

“We got two more!”

Skrulls came into the chamber where they dragged America and Tommy. The mission to defend the hangar failed, too, with the Skrulls beginning to lock the unconscious pair into pods.

Meanwhile, more Skrulls focused on drugging Billy to prevent him from uttering any spells. The drugs burned through Billy’s system quickly as he initiated counterspells, but the Skrulls would reinject more drugs into him to prevent him from fighting back.

Billy retained just enough of his consciousness to fight. He kept his thoughts focused on Teddy, his most powerful connection to reality. And the feelings of love the two shared, he fought as hard as he could so that they could reunite together.

The Skrulls placed Billy into a pod and initiated the cryo-process faster than the others.

But as the pod door closed, Billy’s eyes would briefly flash white.

*~*

The battle on Earth ended as Eli became the last to fall. Skrull-Rhodey, Skrull-Brunnhilde, and Skrull-T’Chala surrounded him. He lasted only a few minutes as he quickly expended the last of his strength to withstand a repulsor blast from Skrull-Rhodey. 

Eli’s shield cracked apart, then Skrull-Brunnhilde slammed her fist to break what remained of his shield. Left completely exposed, Skrull-T’Chala struck the ground with his vibranium-charged claws to knock Eli off his feet.

The Skrull-Avengers restrained Eli, carrying him to what remained of Earth’s defenders as they too lost their battles.

Wanda stared at the Skrull-Avengers with a dazed expression as she wore a collar that restrained her magic and mental function. She slumped against Noh-Varr, who looked pretty bruised up from his fight.

Kang towered over everyone, mocking them for their failure. Nate knelt amongst the others as he glared at Kang with tears in his eyes. Not that Kang cared. “These are Earth’s mightiest heroes? I cannot say I’m impressed.” Kang walked circles around the defeated heroes. He eyed them all momentarily, not caring for them in the slightest. It became increasingly apparent that whatever ties he had to them as Nate would die the moment he became Kang. “Now, the real fun can begin. I imagine that your friends on the Tarnax have fared no better.” 

Kang chuckled. “What a shame. I almost hoped for better resistance.”

“Stop this, Kang!” Nate tried to force himself to his feet, but his strength couldn’t defy the restraints Kang applied to his armor. “These are our friends! You fought alongside them too. You have to care about them.”

Kang rolled his eyes. “Your talk of humanity doesn’t sway me. All that matters is power.”

Kate groaned as she struggled against her restraints. “No offense, Nate, but your adult self is a real son of a bitch.”

“I know,” whispered Nate.

Their harsh words mattered, not to Kang as he basked in victory.

A Skrull approached with communication from the Tarnax II. “Master Kang, we received word that the intruders have been subdued. Queen Veranke is preparing to execute the false prince.”

“Teddy!” shouted everyone.

Kang simply smiled. “Marvelous. The threat will die with him. As for you, monitor these fools.” Kang snapped his fingers. The armor responded, allowing Nate to stand. Kang grabbed onto Nate’s arm and dragged him as he prepared to teleport them. “It is time you witness your first conquest. Then you will finally be ready to become me.”

“I’ll never be like you!” shouted Nate.

“You will.” Kang activated the teleportation sequence with them beginning to beam up to the Tarnax II.

With Kang gone and Nate still his prisoner, the others succumbed to despair.

*~*

Skrulls stared at the monitors for the cryo-lab to monitor what remained of the Avengers. They kept the broadcast going of Queen Veranke, preparing to execute Teddy.

However, the monitors began to go haywire. 

“What in the world?” A Skrull stared at a monitor and noticed something going off with one of the pods. He tried to stabilize the power output, but the cryo-system failed. “C-24 is malfunctioning! Which pod is it?”

A Skrull approached the pod and gasped. Cracks formed over the pod that contained Billy with smoke pouring out. “Oh no! It’s一”

The pod’s glass shattered with a fully-conscious Billy regaining his freedom. 

Billy floated to the ground, and his eyes turned pure white. The Skrulls screamed, frantically, as they thought they accounted for every variable. 

A Skrull approached Billy and attempted to restrain him again with an alien-looking, cattle prod. Before the electrical current could strike Billy, the electrical current redirected itself back to the Skrull and shocked it half to death.

Billy turned to the Skrulls in the lab. “Leave now!” Billy’s voice boomed at an ungodly volume that it destabilized the Skrulls forms. Their bodies began to shift uncontrollably until Billy closed his mouth once more.

“What is he?” cried a Skrull.

“A demon!” 

Skrulls began to run from the lab, while others attempted a final act of resistance.

Billy ignored them all. He raised his hand to deactivate all the pods.

The prisons started to open up, which freed all the Avengers and Pepper. They stumbled out of their pods with their minds slowly returning to them as they recalled their last moments of freedom before the Skrulls imprisoned them.

“Contain the prisoners!”

“For the glory of Queen Veranke!”

A pair of Super Skrulls attempted to detain Billy but would fail miserably.

Billy blinked in the Super Skrulls’ direction. Before they could process anything, their bodies crumbled into ash. They didn’t even have the time to scream as their existence ended in the blink of the eye.

Tommy rubbed his head. He caught a glimpse of what Billy did, which he found positively horrifying. “Billy...what? What are you doing?”

When Billy turned to them, everyone gasped in shock. His white eyes served as the signal of the power that radiated from him that so easily freed them.

America gulped. She could easily recognize the power that created her homeland and served as her power source. “Demiurge.”

“That’s Demiurge!” said Kamala.

Thor broke from the ranks of the other Avengers. He regained enough of his mind to process everything better. He remained cautious, though, while approaching Demiurge/Billy since he learned enough of the entity. 

Thor bowed. “Demiurge, you have our thanks. However, if I may be so bold, I wish to leave you with some words of wisdom. God to god.” Thor chose his next words carefully so as not to risk getting turned to ash like the Super Skrulls. “You are Demiurge, but you are also William Maximoff. Do not forget that. Remember your humanity.”

Demiurge/Billy nodded. “Go.” His voice boomed throughout the lab, but not in the painful and threatening manner in which he addressed the Skrulls. He spoke with such power behind his voice that it left everyone’s knees weak. “Return to Earth. Save others.” He kept his speech simple so as not to overwhelm them from the sheer magnitude of his voice.

Even Bruce and Jen struggled against the voice of Demiurge/Billy. Their gamma bodies could only tolerate so much.

Thor bowed to Demiurge/Billy once more. “We will. Be careful, Demiurge.” Thor went over to America, signaling to her to open a portal.

America stomped her foot to the ground. She created the largest, star-shaped portal she ever made. While she didn’t know she could be so strong, she credited it less to herself and more to her proximity to Demiurge/Billy.

“Billy!” shouted Tommy. “Just...come home.”

The portal swallowed the Avengers with Tommy’s voice echoing throughout the lab.

Demiurge/Billy looked away. A single tear trickled down Demiurge/Billy’s face as he indeed held enough of Billy to maintain his humanity. Demiurge/Billy would retain that piece so as not to lose himself entirely to his power.

There was still one more group to save. Demiurge/Billy could rely on the Avengers to save his friends on Earth, but he needed to find his beloved before it was too late. Demiurge/Billy stepped towards the exit of the lab with the door tearing itself in half to make way for him. 

*~*

Back on Earth, Fury’s head hung low. “After everything...this is how it ends.”

Eli recovered enough from the blows he took from the Skrull-Avengers. “Sorry, Fury. Sorry that we weren’t tough enough.”

“Don’t blame yourself, kid,” said Fury. “This isn’t your fault.”

“Silence!” Skrull-Carol hissed at Fury while charging her fist with cosmic energy. “Say another word, and you’ll die.”

Fury glared at Skrull-Carol. “You’re not the real Carol Danvers, so why should I be afraid of you?”

Skrull-Carol aimed her fist at Fury to blast him, but she didn’t get the chance. A rush of energy struck Skrull-Carol and slammed her against the communication tower.

The tower collapsed with the Skrulls and everyone else appearing completely confused as to how this happened. 

However, the smoke cleared from the tower as a glowing figure emerged from the wreckage.

Floating in the air, the cosmic energy surrounding Monica Rambeau manifested in golden light. Her curly hair swayed in the breeze along with her black coat. The breeze exposed part of her black and white bodysuit that bore the same star Carol and Teddy had on their uniforms.

Monica aimed a glowing fist for Skrull-Thor as he took flight to strike her down. However, she was ready for the fight and easily knocked him across the mall. 

“Sorry that I’m late to the party!” shouted Monica. “But I brought reinforcements.”

“Reinforcements?” asked Kate. Before she could blink, she felt her restraints come undone. She looked back to find Noh-Varr released her, but that wasn’t what truly caught her by surprise.

Clint Barton stood next to Wanda, deactivating her arrow with the tip of a trick arrow. With a bit of work, Clint got the collar to come undone, which allowed Wanda to feel her mind and powers return. Clint gave Kate a thumb’s up. “Hey, junior. Did you miss me?”

Kate chuckled. “Like the flu. Where have you been?”

Clint shrugged. “I took out a Skrull before he could do the body swap thing with me. So I’ve been on the move to find help. Monica found us on her own. And it's a good thing we came prepared.”

“Yo!” A familiar voice echoed with the unshrinking process occurring. Scott Lang sliced Riri free with a knife. “Dig the knife? Never leave home with your handy, dandy, Swiss Army Knife.” Scott retracted his helmet as he glanced at everyone. “Hey! Where’s my kid?”

Hill got free thanks to Hope Van Dyne blasting her free with wasp stingers. “In space.”

Hope retracted her helmet too. “You sent his kid to space! What were you thinking?”

“We’re trying to save the world,” said Riri.

“Barton. Lang.” Fury got to his feet. “While it’s good to see you both, your presence is hardly inspiring.”

“Ow!” Clint covered his chest. “Maybe you’ll change your mind when you see them.”

As the crowd of Skrull-Avengers and Dard’van Skrulls started to come after their group, sonic blasts struck some as did magic. Then came the mighty cries as green figures descended from the skies to ambush the Dard’van.

Lan-Zarr and Mur-G’nn swooped in with Lan-Zarr carrying Shuri in his arms. 

Shuri raised her vibranium gauntlets, which resembled the face of a panther. She blasted Skrull-Bruce and Skrull-Jen with powerful enough sonic blasts to leave them stunned. “I doubt that will hold them for long. We’ll need the big guns!”

“I’m here!” Amadeus got on his feet once Clint cut him free. He charged across the mall to tackle Skrull-Bruce at the full force.

Lan-Zarr rushed to Wanda and the others. “Where is Prince Dorrek?”

Wanda frowned. “We heard the news from the Skrulls that Veranke is set to execute him. But...how are you here? New Asgard fell.”

The worried expression on Mur-G’nn’s face changed. She would fear for Teddy’s safety later as they needed to worry about the Skrull-Avengers and Dard’van forces. “Clint, Scott, and Hope rescued us,” said Mur-G’nn. “The Asgardians remained behind to reclaim New Asgard. Then, we went to Wakanda to find Shuri.”

Shuri blasted a pair of Skrulls with her gauntlets. “Wakanda remains under Dard’van control, but we will liberate it. If we’re to save Wakanda, we must defeat these bastards first.”

“Destroying the tower was our first step,” said Hill, “but I don’t know how much good that’ll do if Veranke will kill Teddy soon or with Kang running around.”

“One thing at a time!” said Riri. “Let’s focus on kicking some ass!”

Before their team could get to work, however, screams echoed from the Skrull-Avengers. They all collapsed to the ground and spat up black blood. 

The sight was a revolting one as they didn’t know what was going on with the Skrulls, nor did the other members of the Dard’van forces. They all backed away as the Skrull-Avengers finally collapsed to the ground, appearing dead.

Eli took a deep breath. “Well, that was different. Anyone want to explain what happened?”

Before anyone could take a guess, a star-shaped portal emerged from the Reflecting Pool. And out from the portal came the real Avengers and the remainder of the Young Avengers except for Billy and Loki.

Pepper went over to Clint with a scared expression on her face. "Do you know what happened to Morgan?"

"She's safe with my family," said Clint. "Your evil-twin didn't hurt her."

"Thank god," whispered Pepper.

Tommy rushed over to Wanda, Kate, and Noh-Varr. He gave them each a hug as they all seemed shocked to see him. “Billy saved us, but I don’t know if there’s any way to save him. He’s gone full Demiurge.”

“Demiurge,” whispered Wanda.

America nodded. “I don’t know how much of Billy’s humanity remains, but he’s probably going to kill Veranke to save Teddy.”

"Should we stop him?" asked Kate. "Or should we let Billy kill Veranke?"

Strange floated over to them, while the Dard’van forces started to back away as they reevaluated their strategy. “We can worry about Billy’s wellbeing later." He passed the bracelets activated the War Machine and Rescue armors over to Rhodey and Pepper so that they could suit up. "First, these Skrull need our attention.”

“Agreed.” Eli grabbed the vibranium shield that Skrull-Sam wielded and returned it to the real Sam, while Thor and Jane reclaimed their hammers. “Are we ready, Avengers?”

Sam smirked as he instead handed the shield over to Eli to use. “It's yours now.”

Eli gladly took the shield. He turned around to face the Dard’van Skrulls that itched for a fight. “Avengers! Assemble!”

Howls echoed across the National Mall as they charged into battle against the Dard’van fighters.

*~*

Moments before the Earth team got their reinforcements and their second wind, the execution of Teddy was moments away from beginning. 

Nate got tossed to the ground where an unconscious Loki laid frighteningly still, and Talos simply appeared too dejected to put up any kind of fight. He watched in horror as Teddy slowly bled out from the sword wound that Veranke inflicted upon him. No matter how hard Nate tried to scream, he couldn’t project any sound as Kang activated the armor to silence Nate’s speaking ability. 

Kang approached the dais that Veranke stood upon. Veranke reclaimed her blood-stained sword as she prepared to perform a proper execution on Teddy. Soren remained still, while Kl’rt fitted Veranke with a ceremonial crown and cloak that befitted one of her station.

Kang grinned as it was about to happen finally. He could taste his sweet victory. However, he still had a part to play. “My queen, I heard the glorious news of your victory and arrived to bask in your glory.”

Veranke smiled while she stepped away from the dais. “It is all thanks to you, Kang. Without your guidance, I would’ve never made it as far as I have. And for that, you have my thanks. As well as my support.” She clenched onto her sword and approached a slowly, dying Teddy. The smile remained on her face as she extended the sword to him. “I will put you out of your misery, abomination. May Death show you more kindness.”

As Veranke prepared to stab Teddy’s throat, a deep yell stopped Veranke.

Talos gasped, while he moved to his feet. “Veranke. Stop this madness! You cannot kill Prince Dorrek. You cannot punish him for his birth, for his blood! It makes you no better than the Kree that you claim to hate. Your mother and I raised you better than that!

Soren flinched. She closed her eyes and held back tears as she knew how right Talos was, while also feeling the guilt of her betrayal. 

Veranke cackled. She tossed her head back and heaved. “I am better than those Kree dogs, father.” She raised her sword to Teddy. “And I refuse to serve a filthy half-breed!”

“Then, I will stop you.” Talos approached Veranke with his fists clenched. “I won’t allow you to kill Mar-Vell and Princess Anelle’s son!”

Before Talos could get too close, however, a dagger sailed across the chamber and struck Talos through the heart. Blood spat from Talos’s mouth as his vision completely faded. Talos collapsed to the ground and let out one final breath.

“Talos!” Soren ran from the dais to Talos’s side. 

Veranke dropped her sword as she stood wide-eyed. Her breathing stalled for a second while she stared at her Talos’s body. “Father,” she whispered. She heard Soren’s horrid cries of despair and knew that he indeed was dead.

Veranke spun around to confront her father’s attack to find Kang smiling. “Kang!” she shouted. “How could you! How dare you murder my father!”

Kang huffed. “You dropped your guard, pretender queen.” Kang stepped from the dais, while Kl’rt attempted to attack him. Kang reacted faster than Kl’rt to generate a massive, electrical shock from his gauntlet that left Kl’rt temporarily paralyzed. “Poor, Super Skrull. I suppose you’re not that super, after all.”

Kl’rt’s body twitched from the electrical pulses that left him unable to move of his own will. 

Kang rotated his hand. His gauntlet responded to generate a long, indigo sword that he swung in Veranke’s direction. “I planned on killing you after you eliminated Prince Dorrek for me, but it’s clear that your familiar connections leave you too weak to be of use. Your hesitation in killing the prince proves we’ve run the course of your usefulness.”

Veranke glared at Kang while standing in front of Soren and the injured Teddy. “You, arrogant bastard! Do you not know who I am!”

“A scared, little girl who craves power,” said Kang. “But you fail to realize who I am. I am Kang the Conqueror. All of history belongs to me!” He fired a concussive blast from his gauntlet that shot Veranke to the ground. Soren screamed for Veranke but found that Veranke was only injured, not mortally wounded. “This era will be my next conquest.” Kang turned his sword to Teddy. “Once I kill the boy who would unify two of the greatest empires the universe has ever known, nothing and no one can stand in my way!”

Kang prepared to kill Teddy only for waves of green magic to lock Kang in place. Kang rolled his eyes as the sting of magic was all too familiar with him. “I knew you weren’t defeated, Trickster.”

“Never underestimate a god.” Loki extended a hand out. Rays of green magic flared from his hand as he did all he could to restrain Kang despite what little energy he had left, thanks to Soren’s earlier attack. “I should’ve known you were behind this, Immortus. I mean Kang. Or whatever in Hel you want to call yourself.”

Kang smirked. “You’re not the same Loki that I fought before. I should’ve anticipated that someone as ancient as you would know how to communicate with other versions of yourself across the multiverse.”

Loki shrugged. “It’s a gift. The other me warned me about you and all the other versions of yourself across every timeline. But to think you’d waste your efforts to kill my friend.”

Kang huffed as he struggled to force himself free from Loki’s magical grip. “Your friend? Is that what Prince Dorrek is to you?”

“Damn straight!” growled Loki. “And I will protect my friends!”

As blood continued to gush from his wound, Teddy couldn’t help but smile from Loki, confessing that they were indeed friends.

However, Kang forced himself free as his armor adapted to Loki’s magic. And given Loki’s injured state, he couldn’t put up that great of a resistance. Loki collapsed to the ground once more with Nate trying to help him up, while Kang went to kill Teddy.

When the blade became inches away from Teddy, it shattered into sparks of light.

Kang raised his eyebrows. He was about to curse Loki as he expected it was another one of Loki’s tricks. Unexpectedly, Loki appeared equally as confused.

The doors to the chamber tore themselves apart with the clack of boots across the floor echoing.

Demiurge/Billy stepped inside while the Skrulls that once guarded the doors collapsed before him. All the remaining Skrulls in the chamber collapsed except for Soren and Veranke.

Loki rolled over to his side and gasped when he felt the obscene amount of power. He mindlessly cackled as he fell to his back. “You, idiots! You’ve done it now.” Loki couldn’t stop laughing as he could feel that it was the end not just for the Dard’van but for himself too. “The Demiurge is here.”

Demiurge/Billy tilted his head to the side as he stared at the dying Teddy. Tears escaped from his white eye. He extended his hand out with Excelsior flying to him. He caught the sword and continued to approach Teddy.

Kang growled as he constructed a new sword from his armor. “I don’t care what you are, boy! You will not stop me from my prize!”

Before Kang could even attempt to take a swing, a powerful force knocked him from his feet. Demiurge/Billy didn’t even spare a glance at Kang. Demiurge/Billy simply willed for Kang to get out of his way, and that was enough to send Kang flying aside.

Demiurge/Billy knelt over to Teddy and pulled him to his lap.

Teddy’s vision was too blurred, and his mind was too broken for him to process anything anymore fully. More blood gushed from his wound. His hand trembled as he attempted to hold Demiurge/Billy’s hand as he could recognize Billy’s scent. “Bi...lly.”

“Sh,” whispered Demiurge/Billy. He placed his hand over Teddy’s wound to seal it properly and restore all the blood that Teddy lost. A sharp gasp escaped from Teddy’s mouth as he was pulled from the edge of death.

However, saving Teddy wasn’t enough.

Demiurge/Billy raised his hand above his head. And before anyone could blink, Demiurge/Billy snapped his fingers.

In that instant, the Tarnax II exploded.

*~*

The explosion of the Tarnax II was visible even from the Earth.

As the Young Avengers and their allies finally turned the tides of battle, they all turned to the sky when they heard an explosion. The bright destruction of the Tarnax II came as a shock with everyone first appearing confused until the Dard’van Skrulls confirmed that the explosion came from the Tarnax II.

“Queen Veranke!” wept the Dard’van Skrulls as they collapsed to their hands and knees, losing their will to fight.

There were no cheers from the Young Avengers or their allies; however, as they knew the destruction of the Tarnax II would come at a price.

Tommy’s hand trembled. He kept staring at the sky with his bottom lip quivering as a tear ran down his cheek. “Billy.”

Engines roared over their heads as more Dard’van ships descended from space. The ships blanketed the skies of D.C., which didn’t make anyone feel the slightest bit better.

However, rays of white light flashed over the National Mall. A series of bodies fell to the ground, most of whom were the Dard’van Skrulls that crewed the Tarnax II, including an injured Kl’rt. Then Veranke came to view, while Soren was nearby as she clung onto Talos’s body.

Nate and Loki fell to the ground, too, groaning from the experience.

The light that rescued them slowly faded as it revealed a floating figure. Demiurge/Billy floated over everyone as he carried Teddy in his arms. His feet slowly touched the ground and laid a still-recovering Teddy down so that he could adequately rest.

“Billy!” screamed Tommy and Wanda.

Demiurge/Billy stared at both of them. His white eyes returned to their natural color as he took a deep breath. 

Billy smiled as he felt their warm hugs. He chuckled and hugged them back. “Hey! I missed you too.”

“What the hell, Billy!” Tommy choked on the last of his tears. He bore a big grin on his face. “Did you blow up the ship? What is wrong with you!”

“I guess godhood got to my head.”

Wanda rolled her eyes as she leaned over to kiss Billy’s forehead. “Don’t you ever scare me like that, William Maximoff! We thought you were dead.”

Billy scratched his nose. He kept on smiling. “I promise. I won’t do anything to worry you.”

“Damn right, you won’t,” said Tommy.

A soft cough captured Billy’s attention. He parted ways from his family to return to Teddy’s side. Teddy started to get back on his feet but needed proper support before he fell face first.

Billy was there to catch Teddy. “I told you that I would always be there for you.”

Teddy nodded. He wrapped his arms around Billy then pulled Billy in for a kiss. They shared a lengthy kiss before he loosened his grip on Billy. “I love you.”

“I love you too.” Billy leaned over to kiss Teddy’s cheek. 

Cassie stumbled forward while Scott and Hope stood closeby. “What about Kang? You brought Veranke back but not him.”

Billy nodded. “Because Kang’s gone.”

“Gone?” Nate helped Loki to his feet now that he regained control of his armor. “What do you mean gone? Did you kill him?”

“I think so.” Billy stared at the sky to the explosive remains of the Tarnax II. “I didn’t bring him with us. And I didn’t send him anywhere else.”

“So we’re good?” asked Noh-Varr. “Kang’s dead?” He took his blaster and aimed it for Veranke. “All we have left is the evil queen!”

Before Noh-Varr pulled the trigger, Soren’s screams echoed across the Mall as she tried to shield Veranke. 

More tears poured from Soren’s face. “Please! Don’t kill my daughter. I already lost my husband. I can’t lose her too.”

Carol and Fury approached Talos’s body, both of them muttering silent prayers for their dear friend.

Noh-Varr retracted his blaster to its holster. “Not like it’s my decision. It’s up to Teddy if she lives or dies.”

Teddy bit his lip. He could easily have Veranke executed, especially after all the crimes she committed and her many attempts on his life. But she was still Talos and Soren’s daughter. And now that Talos was dead, Teddy felt compelled to do something.

However, there was no time for mercy.

The ground began to quake. Panic befell the Mall and the rest of the city. The Skrulls, regardless of faction, feared that the ground would swallow them. Their fears weren’t too far from the truth as something wanted to destroy them.

Space ripped before everyone’s eyes. The rip appeared like a tare in reality itself that gradually grew bigger.

Kamala shook her head. “Um...Billy? Did you Demiurge this?”

Billy’s mouth hung slightly open. “Nope. Not it.”

“This is something else.” Strange walked around Peter to get a closer look at the tare. “This is temporal. We need to seal this before time and space collapse.”

“What’s that supposed to mean?” asked America.

A deep voice echoed across the Mall. “It means Kang is victorious!”

From the rip in time, Kang emerged once more. However, Kang did not appear alone. The rip grew bigger with something far worse beginning to emerge.

The rip expelled more Kangs that all appeared slightly different from each other. Thousands of Kangs emerged from the rip in time. Even when they shared the same armor, there were slight modifications to help them stand out. One Kang appeared to wear armor that was modeled from the Kree Starforce, while another wore armor like the Nova Corps. Another Kang came with a Mjolnir-looking hammer in hand as another had the Cloak of Levitation. Then came a pair of Kangs; one who’s armor bore Egyptian hieroglyphics and another that had some other alien script on his armor.

Each Kang stood out from the others, but a single Kang led them all.

The true Kang chuckled as he assembled his alternate selves from across history to this moment. “I underestimated you, Young Avengers. I’ve killed the Avengers and other heroes that dared to oppose me. But you, you children, actually pushed me to do this. You should be proud that I will unleash the full wrath of Kang upon you before you die.”

Nate retained control of his armor even with all the Kangs present. He activated his Iron Lad armor to keep himself able to fight. “You really are the worst, Kang! I will stop you.”

Kang huffed. “Like we care for your pathetic resistance any longer, Nathaniel. You will become one of us soon enough.” Kang turned his sights onto the others. He had his eyes on the many heroes that stood opposed to his conquest of this era. Now, he would put an end to them all. “It is time to put an end to this futile struggle. Rest in peace, Young Avengers.”

The army of Kangs prepared for war, while the Young Avengers and their allies braced themselves for a battle unlike any other.


	6. Tomorrow

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Howdy. And welcome to the final chapter of Young Avengers: Till the End of Time, and the conclusion to Young Avengers Assemble. I've enjoyed writing these stories for y'all these last couple of months. And I hope you've enjoyed the ride too. I made this chapter extra-long since it is the grande finale and should be treated as such. 
> 
> Also, with the coronavirus getting worse and causing quarantines and school/work closures, I figured we could use a little joy. Stay safe and healthy.
> 
> As for the song choice of this chapter, it is "Tomorrow" by Mika because "who gives a shit about tomorrow." And don't forget to leave your kudos and comments behind.
> 
> Love, Michael

Chapter 6: Tomorrow

Screams echoed across the National Mall as it quickly became a battlefield for the Avengers and Kang’s army. Monuments and the roads got wrecked, with the fighting getting dangerously close to the steps of the Capitol building.

The Kangs from all across history and multiverse flooded this reality, proving the true dangers of Kang the Conqueror when he set his sights on a particular era.

Teddy gave a mighty yell as he led his Skrulls into battle. He swung Excelsior at every Kang that came his way while doing everything in his power to keep the Kangs from conquering this era.

In the meantime, Amadeus led Bruce and Jen to prevent the armies of Kang from getting any closer to the Capitol building. They clapped their hands together to generate a massive shock wave to send the Kangs flying to the opposite end of the Reflecting Pool.

America smashed a star-portal in the middle of the air. The opening allowed Carol and Monica to blast a pair of Kangs, one that looked like a cowboy and the other looked like a Pilgrim, through the portal. America quickly shut the portal closed with the hopes of at least preventing some of the Kangs from reappearing from the hole in time-space.

Kate slid across the concrete and drew an energy arrow from her Asgardian bow. Clint stood behind her with an incendiary arrow. They sent their arrows flying after a Kang dressed in futuristic armor. As the arrows exploded upon impact, Bucky provided further support as he fired his gun in the direction of that Kang even as an energy wall shielded that Kang from much harm.

Eli did a backflip to avoid a Kang, dressed in a Hydra uniform, from hitting him. Sam flew in from behind to kick Kang in the arm. Meanwhile, T’Chala joined them to slash his vibranium claws across the chest of Kang, providing Eli the chance to tackle Kang with his shield.

Noh-Varr landed from the sky to pounce on a Kang dressed in Spartan armor. He crushed Kang to the ground, but Kang sprang up to his feet quickly enough. Noh-Varr paired up with Lan-Zarr, who arrived to swing his sword at Kang to block Kang from stabbing Noh-Varr with a xiphos.

Cassie shrank down to size as she rode on an ant with Scott, while Hope flew beside them. They got close to a Kang dressed in a white suit before unshrinking to swarm him. Hope would sting Kang with her stringers, while Cassie and Scott relied on their fists.

Tommy built up his momentum before running towards a Kang that rode what looked like a robotic pegasus. Wanda figured out what Tommy was up to, so she constructed a road from the reddish-pink energy she conjured. The road allowed Tommy to get real close so that he could push that Kang from the pegasus. 

Riri flew across the sky with Rhodey and Pepper as backup. They found a group of Kangs dressed in something similar to their armor and made their assault. The sky lit up as they fired countless repulsor blasts at each other. Pepper, in particular, when on the full offensive as she refused to show any mercy after everything Kang and Veranke did to her.

Kamala stretched out of the way of a pharaoh-looking Kang that tried to cut her with a crazy, glowing sword. She narrowly avoided a sword to the chest when Shuri showed up to provide support. Shuri blasted Kang with sonic blasts from her gauntlets. With Kang stunned, Peter kicked Kang after using a nearby streetlight as leverage before trapping King webs.

Loki waved his hands to generate bolts of green magic from the ground. The magic wrapped around a pair of Kangs that ambushed Jane and pulled them into the air. Jane smirked as she raised Mjolnir to generate lightning to strike both Kangs.

“Now, brother!” shouted Loki.

Thor flew in with Stormbreaker. He pulled energy from Jane’s lightning before smashing the hammer-end of Stormbreaker to knock the Kangs out. He turned his gaze to the ground and smiled at Loki.

Meanwhile, Billy worked alongside Strange to cover Fury, Hill, the detained Dard’van Skrulls, Veranke, and Soren with a barrier from the coming debris as the battle grew increasingly out of control.

Outside of the barrier, Brunnhilde slashed at a Kang that dared to dress in a set of ancient, Asgardian armor. “Little shit!” cursed Brunnhilde. “You dare threaten my people!” She went ballistic on Kang with her making quick work of him only for a nearby explosion to knock them both out.

Nate nearly crashed when he generated a force field around himself as a Kang in wizard-looking robes tried to blast him with magic. Nate’s shield held its own, but the direct attack proved remarkably damaging.

Billy gasped. He turned to Strange. “Guard them! I’ll help the others.”

“Caution, William!” said Strange.

Billy stepped out of the barrier to blast Kang before he could attack Nate again, while Kl’rt stared in his direction.

Kl’rt clenched his fists. He turned to his fellow Skrulls and noticed how pitiful they all looked. Then, his eyes found their way to Veranke, who couldn’t even bother to watch the fight as she sat in a daze as Soren hugged her.

Kl’rt growled. “No more.” He made his way towards the edge of the barrier. His presence didn’t go unnoticed as Strange feared what he plotted. “Let me free, wizard. I wish to fight.”

“I won’t let you hurt my friends,” said Strange.

“Not them.” Kl’rt glared at all of the Kangs. “I wish to fight Kang. He manipulated us into this war against your allies. He fed on our hate and compelled us to vilify Prince Dorrek. Kang must pay for the harm he’s done.”

Strange bit his lip. He feared that he might regret his decision, but he also hoped that Kl’rt was sincere. “Betray my trust, and I’ll hurl you into the Dark Dimension.”

Strange granted Kl’rt an opening, which Kl’rt gratefully accepted. Kl’rt charged into battle and assaulted the first Kang that crossed his path by smashing Kang’s face in with a rocky fist.

“Let us help!” A few more Skrulls stood as they approached the barrier. Strange allowed them to leave, and these Skrulls supported Kl’rt in the fight against Kang.

Fury smirked. “Well, I guess there’s hope for these Skrulls.”

“Maybe.” Hill turned to Veranke and Soren. “Although some might need more work.”

As the battle continued, Billy conjured a shield to cover himself and Nate.

Billy knelt over to check on Nate as he was busy with repairs on his armor. “I know we said this already,” said Billy, “but your future self is a real dick.”

Nate chuckled. “I know. I know.” He checked the armor’s status to find it mostly repaired. He couldn’t waste another second though on repairs since all the fighting would prevent the armor from taking the time it needed. “We have to figure out a way to stop Kang. There are more of him spilling out from the rip in time-space.”

“I could stop that tear easily,” said Billy. “All I need to do is go Demiurge.”

“But that still leaves the prime Kang.” Nate sighed. He generated an energy dagger from his armor that he pointed towards his chest. “Me dying would solve all of this.”

Billy snapped his fingers to erase the dagger from existence. “Don’t you dare! Not after all the trouble you went to save me from Moridun, we’re not going to let you die because of Kang.”

“How else can we stop Kang?” cried Nate. “I’m connected to him. I die, then Kang ceases to exist.”

Billy gasped. He thought on what Nate said about Nate’s connection to Kang and back to how they rescued him from Moridun. “Connections.” Billy closed his eyes with threads of golden energy gathering to his hands. “Severe the connection. No, not just the connection.” A smile spread across Billy’s face. “All connections. I know how to stop Kang and save you!”

“My prince!” Mur-G’nn’s voice echoed across the battlefield. Billy and Nate looked to see the barrier Mur-G’nn conjured break, leaving Teddy vulnerable to the prime Kang as he swung an energy sword after Teddy. 

The glowing, violet sword came dangerously close to Teddy’s head only for Teddy to block it with Excelsior. Teddy stood his ground, but his knees started to buckle as Kang’s sword wielded an unusual amount of energy.

Kang chuckled as he leaned closer towards Teddy. “You die here, Dorrek. As does the threat you pose to me. A pity that someone so young must die, but it is so I can rule unchallenged.”

Teddy attempted to push back before Kang could get any closer. Sweat started to pour from Teddy’s forehead as he found Kang’s armor made them equal in strength. “You won’t win, Kang! I will stop you.”

“There’s nothing you can do, boy,” said Kang. “You are too weak!”

Thunder boomed, and the wind howled over their heads. They assumed it was only Thor and Jane conjuring the elements, but soon a golden light radiated from above. “My husband might not be able to defeat you. But I can.”

Billy flew into the scene with his eyes appearing pure white. Golden rays of light arose from his body while he twisted his fingers. Kang shoved Teddy aside as the looming threat of Demiurge, literally, floated above his head. Tiny stars gathered from the energy Billy conjured as he uttered three words. “ _All. Possible. Realities._ ”

Kang screamed.

The stars gathered in Billy’s hands spread outward to strike all of the remaining Kangs. As the stars hit the Kangs, they found themselves pulled into the temporal rift they created in swarming the present. Their screams echoed across the National Mall as Billy’s powers sent each Kang back to the time period that they left.

The process continued until only the prime Kang remained.

All the Kangs, except for the prime Kang, returned to their proper times, which ended the battle as Billy could easily finish Kang.

When Kang attempted to charge at Billy with his sword, Teddy surprised Kang. Teddy swung Excelsior at the right second to severe Kang’s sword arm from his body. Kang howled in agony as blood gushed forth from his wound. He clenched his teeth as he glared over at Teddy.

“You dare to humiliate me!” shouted Kang.

A smirk grew on Teddy’s face as he struck Excelsior to the ground. “Sorry. But you made a move on my husband. If I hadn’t taught you a lesson, then his brother or his mother would’ve.”

Kang’s armor started to repair itself, while also tending to his injury. In that second, a star-struck Kang in the chest. When he expected to get thrown into the rift, instead, Kang was left kneeling as the temporal rift sealed itself behind him.

Kang stared wide-eyed at Billy as he continued to radiate power as Demiurge. “What? You did something to me. I know it! I feel...odd.”

Billy floated down to the ground. His eyes remained white as he walked closer to Kang, while Nate joined them. “That’s because you’re now an anomaly.” Billy poked at Kang’s fishbowl of a helmet to deactivate it with his power so that they could properly face each other. “As Demiurge, my power traverses the multiverse. With that power, I can view and touch any reality that I so desire.”

Billy waved his hand to restore Kang’s arm but further deactivated Kang’s armor to the point where Kang couldn’t activate it upon will. “You sought to rule everything and torment our poor Nate, but instead, you created a god who could put you in your place. Hilarious, right?” Billy clicked his tongue. “To my point. I turned you, specifically, into a temporal anomaly. It would’ve taken too much effort to do it to every version of you, but then I saw how you come to power.”

Billy touched Nate’s shoulder. “Every version of yourself visits your younger self. You poke at your own insecurities, give your young self armor and power, then drive him to complete madness. This creates a continual cycle where Kang is born but causes you to split yourself across all these realities once you settle on an era to conquer.”

“So I broke part of that connection. I severed your link to our Nate, which means he now has true free will to become whoever he wants. As for you, Kang, I suggest you return to Chronopolis.”

Kang’s eyes widened. “How do you know about Chronopolis?”

Billy rolled his eyes as they returned to their natural color. “Again, I can see all possible realities! Now, here’s why you should return to Chronopolis because if you stay here much longer, you will cease to exist.”

“What!” Then it dawned on Kang as he fully processed what Billy did to him. “In making me an anomaly, the universe will attempt to correct the course. Eternity doesn’t take kindly to unpleasant deviations existing. I will be erased.”

“Whereas, you’ll be safe in Chronopolis,” said Billy. “You were smart for building real estate in Temporal Limbo. Time doesn’t work there, which means the effects of my spell cannot touch you there. However, that also means you can never leave Limbo because no matter what time period or universe you step into, my spell will catch up to you.”

Kang took a deep breath. He glared at Nate. “So, you win, boy. I can’t touch you.”

Nate smirked. “Yup. I win. Now, you should probably leave, Kang. You’re clearly not welcome here.”

The Avengers and their allies gathered to swarm Kang as he pulled himself to his feet.

Kang held onto his injured arm. Even after Billy repaired the damage, the trauma of the injury was too fresh for the primal parts of his brain. “You haven’t seen the last of me, Avengers. I will have my revenge someday.”

Billy blew Kang a kiss. “Take a number. I’m pretty sure Lilith and whatever is left of Moridun gets first dibs. Bye, Kang!” Billy conjured an opening in reality behind Kang that led directly to Chronopolis. 

Nate raised his gauntlet and set it to a low charge. “Bye, Kang.” Nate could genuinely smile as the moment was finally here. He could free himself from the shadow of Kang, to live a life he could only dream. Without any hesitation, he blasted Kang with a repulsor blast that sent Kang flying with the portal closing right behind him.

And with the prime Kang finally gone, so ended the last remaining threat to Earth.

*~*

The immediate aftermath of the battle saw the removal of the Dard’van agents from their positions of power. A decision came quickly to the agents arrested and imprisoned in the Raft for their crimes against Earth. Veranke and the Skrulls that didn’t defect during the battle at D.C. received similar imprisonment in the Raft until a proper trial was organized. 

Teddy locked hands with Billy as they walked into the rebuilt Triskelion, where the defected Dard’van Skrulls were temporarily detained. 

S.W.O.R.D. agents guarded the facility as it was the only other place on Earth capable of fully containing enhanced individuals. But given the curious behavior of these Dard’van agents, they received a lighter punishment. 

Eventually, Teddy and Billy arrived at Fury's office. Fury sat at his desk with Hill beside him as Monica and Carol sat on a couch, while Soren and Kl’rt stood nearby with their arms bound in handcuffs. 

Teddy tossed a file on the desk. “Their fate is decided. As of noon today, the defected Dard’van agents and Soren are under my custody.” Soren and Kl’rt both breathed a sigh of relief as they spent the last two weeks fearing what might happen.

Fury huffed as he read through the file. “I’m surprised the President allowed that to happen.”

Billy waved his hands. Sparks of magic ignited from his hands. “Well, that’s thanks to me. I released everyone that Veranke held captive and sent them home. So, basically, every world leader owes me a big favor that they know I have every intention to cash in on.”

“Oh, really?” Hill chuckled. “You made that sound almost like a threat.

Billy placed a hand over his heart and gasped. “Not a threat. I can be very convincing.”

Carol rolled her eyes. “So the Skrulls are mostly safe. What of Veranke and the others?”

Teddy turned over to Soren. “It is decided that the Skrulls will receive territory of their own on Earth. The remaining Dard’van will fall under my custody after the trial. However, there is still debate on what will happen to Veranke, given that she led the invasion.”

“While manipulated by Kang!” said Soren.

“But she did so of her own accord,” said Monica. “She led an invasion, kidnapped world leaders and other powerful individuals, laid siege onto cities, and attempted to assassinate a political refugee. The fact that Veranke wasn’t immediately executed is a miracle in itself.”

Kl’rt frowned. “I knew we should’ve never trusted Kang. Had I spoken up sooner, then Veranke wouldn’t be in this mess.”

“The damage is done.” Teddy went over to Kl’rt. He took a keycard from his pocket and used it to release Kl’rt from bondage before moving over to do the same for Soren. They touched their wrists, cherishing their first moment of freedom. “You made your choice, as did Veranke. Nobody forced her to go down the path she did.” Teddy sighed. “However, I will do my part to make sure she isn’t executed.”

Kl’rt raised his eyebrows. “You would do that? Even after everything she’s done?”

“Yes.” Teddy turned to Soren. “Talos taught me how ruthless of an emperor my grandfather was, but how my mother fought for reform. I know I cannot fix the Skrulls overnight, but I will do everything I can to give us a true second chance. To save our people, including Veranke. It’s the best way I can honor the memory of my mothers and Talos.”

Soren closed her eyes and started to weep. “Thank you, Dorrek.”

Kl’rt immediately fell to his knees and bowed his head. “Prince Dorrek...I beg for your forgiveness. Though I am unworthy, after spending decades spreading propaganda against you and attempting to assassinate you more than once, I beg for your mercy. And, in exchange, I shall do all I can to honor you and be your unwavering sword and shield.”

Teddy smiled. “Rise, Kl’rt. I’ve already forgiven you for your misdeeds.”

Kl’rt almost cried as he didn’t expect Teddy to forgive him so easily. Kl’rt’s heart ached as it truly dawned upon him how noble of a Skrull that Teddy was, and how cruel he truly been for turning their people against Teddy all these years.

However, as Kl’rt got up, a swift punch struck Kl’rt on the shoulder. Kl’rt’s instincts told him to fight only to see that Billy was the one who hit him. Kl’rt resisted the urge to punch back since the last thing he needed to do after receiving Teddy’s forgiveness was to strike his husband.

“Teddy forgave you,” said Billy, “but I haven’t yet. And since I, kind of, rule over the Skrulls now too, know that I’m watching you very closely, Kl’rt. One fuck up, and I go threefold again! Understood?”

Kl’rt gulped. He could see the anger in Billy’s eyes and knew from experience that Billy wouldn’t show any hesitation. He quickly bowed to Billy too. “Of course, my prince.”

Billy smirked. “Good! Now, we can focus on fixing the world and finding the Skrulls a new home. Does anyone have suggestions on where we should start?”

Fury folded his hands and covered his mouth to hide a smirk. He enjoyed seeing Billy’s ruthless side because it gave him hope that these kids could handle whatever may come next. “I do have any idea on where to start. After what your team did to save the world, I say the first thing that gets a proper facelift is your base.”

*~*

After a month of reconstruction, the Earth started to get back on its feet properly. New York, New Asgard, the Golden City, and D.C. mostly functioned like normal. Repairs continued to go uninterrupted as it was a miracle to see Earthlings cooperating so effectively for a change. 

All it took was the threat of Skrulls enslaving everyone to get to act right.

While places across the world continued the long process of recovering, the Young Avengers found themselves standing before their newly rebuilt headquarters.

Everything looked almost as it did before the Skrull Avengers demolished the place. A few modifications were made as they got new equipment and better furnishings. They even took over a neighboring building to connect the two together to create a proper facility where they could also work on training and housing young heroes.

However, the excitement of coming home came to a crashing halt as it also meant saying goodbye. With the threat of Kang over and thanks to Billy’s actions, Nate became a free man. Nate made the decision weeks ago that he would take his freedom and return to his proper place in time.

Their welcome home party shared space with Nate’s farewell party.

As the sun started to set, Nate made his rounds to give his final goodbyes to everyone. Nate brushed away his tears as he knew this was his last chance to see everyone. Once he returned to the future, there would be no trace of his friends or even the Young Avengers. 

Nate hugged Eli first. “Keep an eye on everyone. They’ll fall apart without you beating them into shape.

Eli chuckled. “Tell me something I don’t know.”

Nate went around to give more hugs. He hugged Teddy, Tommy, Kate, Noh-Varr, and Kamala before getting to Riri and Amadeus. He paused on Riri and Amadeus as he smiled at them both. “I’m going to miss doing science with you.”

Amadeus patted Nate gently on the shoulder. “Same. It was nice having someone else to talk shop with.”

Riri nodded. “I guess we’ll need to go hunting for a dude as smart as you.”

Nate hugged them once more before finally coming to Loki. Loki didn’t budge, so Nate assumed that Loki had no intention to embrace. Nate responded by holding his hand out. “It was a pleasure knowing you, Loki.”

Loki turned away and crossed his arms over his chest. He gave a deep sigh before throwing his arms around Nate to hug him tightly. “You will be missed, Iron Lad.” Loki’s voice cracked as he resisted the urge to cry.

Nate couldn’t help but let a few tears flow.

Loki stepped aside so that Billy could go in for his hug. 

“Thank you, Billy.” Nate squeezed onto Billy as tight as he could. “You saved me. You gave me a real future.”

“You deserve it, Nate. After everything you’ve done for me, for us.” Billy pulled away and brushed some tears from his face. “Go live your life. Be whoever you want to be.”

Nate nodded. He went over to Cassie and felt himself lose his breath for a moment.

Cassie’s eyes were red as she already cried many tears over Nate’s leaving. 

Nate slowly approached and hugged her. “Goodbye, Cassie.”

“Goodbye, Nate,” whispered Cassie.

They stayed embracing one another for a moment longer before Nate finally gathered the courage to pull away.

Nate stepped away from everyone else before activating his armor. He pressed a few keys on his gauntlet to create a doorway through time that would take him back to the thirtieth century.

Nate felt grateful that he had his helmet on so that they couldn’t see all his tears. “Goodbye, my friends. I will treasure our time together. And I will miss you all so much.”

The Young Avengers waved Nate off and said their final goodbye as he stepped into the doorway and disappeared into the timestream.

*~*

After Nate returned to his time period, the Young Avengers would briefly remain divided as they worked on other repairs to the world. Surprisingly, no extraterrestrial or mystical entities attacked the Earth, which allowed plenty of time to finish repairs.

Avengers Compound got its latest facelift after Billy wrecked the place during his fight against Veranke, Kang, and Kl’rt. The teams gathered in the compound for a cookout now that they had a proper facility once more.

Pepper had an arm over Morgan’s shoulders. She spent over two years being Veranke’s prisoner; she had so much time to make up with Morgan.

Wanda went over to the sofa where she sat next to Morgan. She gave Pepper a gentle smile. “You know that you’re safe here. You can drop your guard a little.”

“I know,” said Pepper, “but it’s not that easy. I feel like the next Veranke is going to ambush me at any moment and take me away from Morgan again.”

Wanda patted Pepper’s hand. “There isn’t a chance of that happening again. We learned from this mistake. We’ll do a better job of looking out for each other.”

Pepper grinned. “Hopefully.”

Morgan whispered a “thank you” over to Wanda as she grew annoyed with Pepper’s overprotective behavior.

Meanwhile, Kate poked fun of Clint’s grilling skills while Laura watched.

Kate rolled her eyes. “You’re letting the burgers burn.”

“They’re not burning. It’s adding flavor.”

“They’re burning,” said Kate. “They’re going from medium to charcoal.”

Clint pointed the grilling tongs at Kate as he glared at her. “Watch it, Katie! Or I’m coming out of retirement and taking my title back.”

“Like hell, you will.” Laura took the tongs and pulled the burgers off before he did, indeed, burn them. “You’re staying home where you belong.”

Kate nodded. “The wifey has spoken. You need to leave things to the superior Hawkeye.”

“Ha.” Clint took a sip from his beer. “Never change, Kate. Stay a punk, and maybe it’ll keep you alive.” He took another sip. “What are your plans now? Are you taking your boyfriend back to Cali, or are you settling here?”

“It depends.” Kate watched as Laura added the next round of burgers. “My parents have gone off the radar completely. There’s no point in running. But if they start trouble again, then I’ll act.”

“Are you sure you can?” asked Laura. “They’re still parents even though they’re not in their old bodies anymore.”

Kate shrugged. “I’ll figure it out. But if they put my friends and new family in danger, then they’re going down.”

“Who’s going down?” Tommy snuck up behind Kate and wrapped his arms around her waist. Noh-Varr wasn’t too far behind as he chugged his beer. “Are we kicking someone’s ass? I thought we were still on vacation mode?”

“Of course, we are.” Kate kissed Tommy before blowing a kiss over to Noh-Varr. “I’m just thinking out loud about who our next big bad might be.”

Noh-Varr nodded. He ran a hand up Tommy’s back while finishing the last of his beer. “I hope it’ll be something exciting. These last couple of years proved just how sheltered I was living amongst the Kree.”

“Don’t get too eager for the next fight,” said Clint. “Enjoy the quiet because it has a nasty habit of ending too quickly.”

Across from the grill, Eli went over to Steve, Sam, and Bucky, who all stood weirdly close to each other with their hands behind their backs. If Eli didn’t know better, then he would’ve expected them to announce they were a throuple too, but they all bore a weird grin that signaled to him that something else was going on.

Before he could question them, Sam made his move. They moved their hands out from their back with Sam presenting the vibranium shield. 

“Um.” Eli’s mouth hung open. “What’s going on?”

“We’re passing the torch,” said Sam. “I’ve been thinking about setting out of the superhero spotlight for a while now. And after everything you’ve done with the Young Avengers, you’ve proven yourself more than worthy of the shield.”

Steve nodded. “I can’t think of a finer man to take over.”

Bucky shrugged his shoulders. “I have no say in this, so I’m just here for moral support.”

Eli chuckled as he took the shield from Sam. He raised his eyebrows. “Are you serious? You really want me to become Captain America? You do realize I would go full radical with the title? You thought I was loud before; there’s nothing holding me back if you give me the shield.”

“I say it’s about time,” said Steve. “After all the injustices done, especially to your family, your grandfather, you’re the only one who can carry the weight.”

Sam patted Eli on the shoulder. “Be the Captain America that we need.”

Eli smiled as he stared at the shield for a good, long while. He nodded. “Alright. It looks like the Patriot is getting promoted.”

“Glad you accepted,” said Bucky, “because we need to talk about your suit.”

“Oh, I have lots of designs in mind. I’ve been planning for this day since you made me Patriot.”

As they discussed the trouble Eli would find himself, Teddy sat with Strange as they stared at a map that Strange projected with magic.

A red light appeared in the middle of the Indian Ocean with Strange zooming in so that they could see a tiny island.

For weeks, Teddy discussed with Strange on the prospects of finding a new home for the Skrulls. The Skrulls that came from the destroyed S.W.O.R.D. facilities and the ones they incorporated from the Dard’van proved too much for New Asgard to absorb. The Skrulls needed a home separate for themselves so that they could properly thrive.

Strange brought several options, but only one truly stood out to Teddy as a viable option.

“You sure it’s uninhabited?” asked Teddy. “I don’t want my first act as emperor to be colonizing already occupied land.”

Strange chuckled. “No, the island is totally uninhabited. Been that way for about three-hundred years now when a plague killed everyone who could make it to mainland Africa. The environment is pleasant enough for Skrulls to survive, and with your technology, it can be a true marvel.”

Teddy smiled as he did like the prospects of this island. “You’re right. I think it’s perfect. I’ll spread the word that the Skrulls have a new home, and it is called Genosha.”

*~*

Almost six months after defeating the Dard’van and saving Earth, Teddy led the Skrulls to rebuild their home on the island of Genosha. Even with all the technology that the Skrulls brought with them from Earth and with what they recovered from the Dard’van, they chose not to run wild in the development of their new nation. While the Skrulls planned to return to space at some point to create a new homeland, they decided to make Genosha’s technology equivalent to that already available on Earth. However, they did make their new nation far more self-sustainable to protect their local environment.

The Skrulls soon built the city of Tarnala to serve as the capital of the new, Skrull kingdom. They also constructed a small palace where Teddy could rule from, which served as Billy and his new home.

However, instead of embracing the comfort of his new home, Teddy found himself in the one prison of Tarnala, where only one occupant currently resided. Teddy had no intention on building more prisons as he wanted this prison to have only one occupant as he did not want to lock away any other Skrull. But Teddy also needed to assure the rest of the world that he could detain any Skrull that might cause havoc for Genosha and the outside world.

Teddy’s footsteps echoed against the tiled floor from his boots as he approached one of many glass cells. 

Unlike much of the world, the Skrulls made their prisons to support rehabilitation. It was one of many changes that Teddy facilitated to transition his people away from the war-minded conditions of old.

Within the cell, there was a moderate amount of comfort. There was a bed, a small dresser, a desk, a bookshelf full of books, and a monitor just outside of the cell that would show a film or any television program that the staff deemed appropriate. There was even a toilet and sink that was walled off for privacy.

Inside the cell, Veranke sat on the ground as she stared at the blank monitor. She could see Teddy from the corner of her eye but chose to ignore him.

Not that it bothered Teddy. 

Teddy stood in front of the cell, dressed in his regal attire with his crown wrapped around his head. “I appreciate that you’re acting like a model prisoner,” said Teddy. “It makes it easier for the Earthlings to not interfere in the affairs of Genosha.” 

Veranke continued to refuse to look at his direction. “I don’t do this for you. I will not see our people further punished for my behavior.”

Teddy curled his lips. “That makes both of us.” He crossed his arms over his chest. “Not that I expect you to be grateful, but I want to remind you how difficult it was to convince the Earthlings to turn you over to my custody and spare your followers. They would’ve executed you, while I still have hope that you can change. Your followers have, even Kl’rt isn’t too outraged with my rule. And even if you spend the rest of your days hating me for my blood, at the very least, I hope you won’t come after my head.”

Veranke huffed. “Is that all, prince? Or do you wish to torment me some more?”

Teddy rolled his eyes. He found it almost pointless to speak with Veranke, but his gut told him to keep working on her for the chance she may change. “No. But I did want to update you on your parents.” Teddy extended his hand out. His Skrull attendant accompanied him and passed a tablet. He pulled up an image to show Veranke. “We memorialized your father. There’s a park named after him, and I granted him a permanent seat on my council. However, it’s purely for symbolic purposes since Kang took him from us.”

Teddy flipped the image for one of Soren. “As for your mother. Soren lives here now. I even granted her the privilege to visit you whenever she wishes. Hopefully, the more time you spend with your mother, the more your heart will soften.”

Veranke buried her hands into the fabric of her green robes. “Is she your political prisoner too?”

“No.” Teddy handed the tablet back to his attendant. “Soren is a free woman. She can do whatever she pleases. Unlike you, I don’t intend to punish the innocent for the sins of their parents.”

“How noble.” Veranke got up. She walked over to the glass to get a better look at Teddy as she glared at him with her dark eyes. “Do not expect me to thank you. Even if Kang manipulated the outcome, my views on you are unchanging. You are an unworthy abomination that deserves death.”

At this point, Teddy found Veranke’s words rather pathetic. He walked closer to the glass and smiled at Veranke. “That’s the thing about death. It’ll come for all of us. But the choice is yours, Veranke. You can die in that cage or die a free woman.”

“So long as I am on this dirtball with your lording over me, I will never be free.”

Teddy shrugged. “If that’s how you feel, I can’t change your mind. But I only wish you remembered how your parents raised you.” Teddy started to back away from the cell. “Your parents raised me for twenty years. They instilled their values into me and the importance of peace and cooperation. I will up to their value. I would hope that their daughter would one day do the same. So, have a nice day, Veranke. Try not to miss me while I’m gone.” Teddy made his way out of the prison with his attendant following behind.

Veranke growled as Teddy soon disappeared. She felt a mighty fire brewing in her chest as she wanted nothing more than to demolish everything in sight. Her rage burned, and she desired nothing more than to escape her prison so that she could kill him in his sleep.

Veranke’s rage didn’t go unnoticed.

The lights in prison flickered out. The few guards near Veranke’s cell left to check on why the power was acting so funky. They didn’t worry that she might escape, nor did they fear that she might hurt herself. They knew she was far too prideful to take such an easy way out.

The lights returned to normal, but Veranke felt her cell getting crowded. She spun around to find Billy standing in the cell with her.

Veranke’s stare softened as she witnessed the full potential of Billy’s powers, but she wanted to project strength. She straightened her posture and maintained eye contact. “The half-breed prince visited me, and now his whore is here.”

Billy smirked. “You know what, bitch, I would ease up on the insults because I have no intention of going easy on you as Teddy does.” Billy walked over to Veranke with her stepping back until her back bumped against the glass walls. “Let me be very clear to you, Veranke. I don’t care what you think about my husband or me. I don’t care if you go on hating us for the rest of your life. That’s fine with me.”

Billy got real close to Veranke’s face. Even though she was taller than him, Billy’s enraged state made Veranke feel as though he was as tall as Bruce Banner.

Waves of pale energy radiated from Billy’s body as his eyes turned pure white. “If you so much as dream of assassinating my husband or hurting anyone on this planet, that includes even an insect, I will destroy you. And I don’t mean I will kill you. I mean that I will do to you what I could’ve easily done to Kang.” 

The white in Billy’s eyes grew brighter as the power around him grew stronger. Even Veranke started to tremble as she feared he might do her harm.

“I will erase all traces of you from the multiverse and cast your remains into nothingness. There will be so little left of you that not even Death, herself, could think of a crueler punishment. Do you understand me?”

Veranke gulped. “You would really threaten me, Prince William?”

Billy’s eyes returned to normal. He patted Veranke on the head. “No. I’m not threatening you. I’m making you a promise. Not as William Maximoff. Not as Wiccan. And not as the Scarlet Son. I promise you as the Demiurge that you will suffer eternally if you do anyone harm.” Billy tilted his head and kept on smiling as he heard Veranke let out a sharp breath. He could see that he made his point clear, which is precisely why he came here today. “You don’t have to say anything now. Sleep on it. And think twice before you make an enemy of your god. And, that’s right, I am your god now, Veranke. Your life is in my hands.”

The light briefly went off as Billy disappeared from the cell, leaving Veranke to contemplate his words.

Veranke slid to the ground and let out panicked breaths as it dawned that not only did she lose the war, but her life was as good as forfeit so long as Billy had eyes on her.

*~*

Billy opened his eyes with the blanket sliding from his body. He yawned now that his soul returned to his body after he astral projected into Veranke’s cell to issue his warning. He smirked to himself now that he could feel Veranke’s tormented thoughts and could tell that she would fall in line.

Their bedroom was practically immaculate. It was designed so that even every royal family on Earth would be jealous of its cozy feel, the luxurious furnishings, and the stellar view of the Indian Ocean as the palace overlooked the coast of Genosha.

Billy pushed the blanket off and slid from the king-sized bed. His feet touched the floor just as the bedroom door opened with Teddy stepping inside. 

“You can leave us alone, R’ur,” Teddy said to his attendant. “My bedroom is the safest place for me in Genosha.”

“Of course, Your Highness.” The attendant, R’ur, closed the bedroom door.

Teddy groaned. He unhooked the cape when sparks of magic washed over him to leave the cape on a hook on the wall. 

Billy rushed across the room and wrapped his arms around Teddy’s shoulders. “Hello, husband. I’ve missed you.”

Teddy smiled as he wrapped his arms around Billy’s waist. “I’m sorry for keeping you waiting, my husband. I wanted to check on Veranke. She’s still pretty cranky, but I don’t think she’ll cause much trouble.”

“Good.” Billy kissed Teddy’s cheek. “Because if she does, you know I’ll go full Demiurge again.”

“I know. Let’s not abuse that great power of yours.” Teddy led Billy back to their bed, which they collapsed onto. “We can’t Demiurge every problem. Somethings should be solved the mortal way.”

“Agreed.” Billy laid his head against Teddy’s shoulder. “Although, me using cosmic cheat codes isn’t a bad idea, per se. Especially since that means we’ll get to spend more time together, and we won’t be apart when you do all your royal stuff. If fear that you being Emperor Dorrek means I’ll never get to spend time with you.”

“I could give the crown up at any point,” suggested Teddy.

Billy shook his head. “No, not after everything we did to get you here.” He sighed. “I’ll deal. It just means I’ll be extra clingy whenever you’re around.”

Teddy chuckled while he tightened his hold on Billy and pulled him in even closer. “That sounds like a fair trade. We can start now.”

“Yes!” Billy rolled so that he could sit on Teddy’s lap. “So now that I have you all to myself, we should consider talking about the future.” Billy ran his hands up Teddy’s chest, feeling all the muscles even with Teddy’s coat and shirt covering everything. “My mother hasn’t said anything, but I’m sure we should expect the talk about grandchildren. Since I have no intention of going to school and you’re basically my sugar daddy, I can’t say that I want to establish my career first.”

“Hold on!” Teddy pulled his torso up so that he could properly face Billy. “When did we agree that I’m your sugar daddy?”

“You’re the future king of space.” 

“And you’re a nigh-omnipotent, cosmic being. You’re the sugar daddy here.”

Billy squinted his eyes. “ _I’m baby_ ,” he said, menacingly

Teddy chuckled as he leaned forward to kiss Billy’s lips. “Fine. You’re baby.”

“Yay!” Billy wrapped his arms around Teddy’s shoulders. He rubbed their foreheads together before letting out a deep sigh. “So...kids.”

“Whenever you’re ready.” Teddy kissed Billy’s chin. “My womb is ready to receive.”

Billy gagged. “That sounds so gross.”

“We did agree that I would be the one to get pregnant,” said Teddy. “My body can shape-shift naturally, whereas we don’t know how safe a male pregnancy is with magic.”

“Again, I could just wish us some kids like my mom did.”

Teddy rubbed their foreheads together as he gave Billy a gentle smile. “And deny me some good lovin? No. I want to do things the natural way, not the magical way.”

Billy couldn’t stop chuckling as he moved his head to fit in the crook of Teddy’s neck. “Fine. I’ll be a top. We can start figuring out how that’ll work.” Billy gently kissed Teddy’s neck before pulling back. “Should we deal with the Kree first before making babies? I’m sure Yon-Rogg convinced the Kree Emperor to go to war with us too.”

“The Kree are a distant problem,” said Teddy. “Hopefully, one that we can handle with diplomacy rather than war. But in their case, we might consider going the Demiurge route.”

“Then, that means we can make babies now?” 

“Not now, now, but yes. Babies can come first.”

“Okay.”

They started to share a lengthy kiss with their bodily urges telling them to undress, but their spatial awareness told them to pull back.

And, luckily, they pulled back in the nick of time. 

Their bedroom doors burst open with a green blur rushing inside.

“You can’t be late to your own party! Get it together, gay boys.” Tommy gagged as he saw Billy and Teddy’s compromising position. He turned away and covered his eyes. “Ah! Were you two about to fuck?”

Billy rolled his eyes. “This is our bedroom, Tommy! You can’t go barging in.”

“We tried to stop him!” They heard Mur-G’nn’s voice from the hallway. “But he invoked brotherly privilege.”

“Brotherly privilege isn’t a thing!” said Teddy as Billy and he got off the bed.

Tommy wagged his finger at them. “It is in the Maximoff family! And you married into it, Dorrek.”

Teddy tilted his head over to Billy. Billy could only sigh and shrug. “You did marry into my family, so the rules apply to you too.”

“Why would you make such a stupid rule?”

“It made sense when we were eight. Not so much now.”

“Clearly.”

“Ahem!” said Tommy. “Party. Downstairs. Now. So get your asses together!”

Teddy glared at Tommy. “You do realize I’m an emperor, right?”

“And I’m a speedster. I ain’t afraid of your green ass.” Tommy slipped out of the bedroom to give Billy and Teddy the space to finish getting ready.

*~*

Champagne tops popped, and cheers echoed across the palace courtyard. Teddy and Billy’s guests crowded the area despite its large size and the ocean nearby to provide a soothing, salty breeze. Nearly everyone they ever met came to the palace as it served both as a coronation party and housewarming party. 

Laughter followed as many stories got told, and happy memories got re-lived. After months apart, everyone coming together without a crisis looming over their heads reminded them of how precious every moment was. 

Eli stood on a chair and whistled to get everyone’s attention. He didn’t worry about Teddy and Billy yelling at him to get down since the furniture was plenty sturdy. “Since we’re all here, I wanted to give Teddy, I mean, Emperor Dorrek, a proper toast.” Eli raised his glass of champagne. “May you rule with wisdom and kindness. And never forget that you are an Avenger.”

Teddy smiled before taking a sip from his glass, as did everyone else.

More toasts followed, only half of which were directed towards Teddy. Since they never had much of a chance to celebrate their victory against Veranke and Kang, they did so now.

Steve gathered the Young Avengers and raised his glass to them. “You’ve all grown so much since we first met. Since the day I first started training you. I am proud of the heroes you’ve become. You are everything I hoped I would live to see in the next generation of heroes. And I pray that those who succeed you follow your amazing examples.”

“To the Young Avengers!” said Thor.

“To the Young Avengers!” cheered everyone.

The team smiled as they cheered themselves.

With the cheers wrapping up, the celebration resumed its normal flow.

Tommy dragged Kate and Noh-Varr onto the dance floor, with America not too far behind with her girlfriend, Ramone.

Eli joined Cassie to catch-up with Kamala, Amadeus, and Riri.

“You’re sure about it?” asked Cassie.

Kamala nodded. “I think it’s time. We’ve discussed it long enough, and the world needs more heroes since the Young Avengers are pretty much Avengers now.”

Riri passed a holographic tablet over to Eli and Cassie so that they could see the intel they collected from J.O.N.A.S. “There’s an interesting pool of young people out there, all of whom need support that the Avengers can’t provide.”

“I get that.” Eli glanced through some of the names on the list. “It’s not going to be the same without you around.”

Amadeus wrapped his arm around Eli’s shoulders. “We’ll still be around. And we can totally collaborate on missions. It’s just time for us to pay it forward.”

Cassie smiled. “Do you have any names in mind for your new team?”

“We’re still workshopping it,” said Kamala. “But, we’re favoring the Champions.”

“The Champions.” Eli raised his eyebrows as it didn’t sound too bad.

“So lame!”

Loki passed by them as he sipped on a bottle of champagne. He held a finger up to them and drank about half the bottle. “The Champions! Really? Couldn’t you come up with something a little more imaginative? Have you people learned nothing after all this spent around me? This is your moment to go for something flashy!”

“Like what?” said Riri. “You want us to go by the Tricksters?”

“Catchy, but not good enough!” Loki was about to give his suggestions when he saw Bruce stomping over in their direction. “Nevermind. The Champions is a great name. Ah! I think I hear Ms. Danvers calling me. Later!”

Amadeus chuckled as Bruce passed them to snatch another bottle of champagne. “I absolutely love that Loki is still terrified of you.”

“That’s because he’s a puny god,” said Bruce.

Further away from the bulk of the party, Teddy and Billy sat on a bench that looked out to both the ocean and the city. While their guests partied, they embraced one another as they shared a comfortable, private moment. Away from everyone and without the sky falling, they could sit in silence. 

Billy laced his fingers around Teddy’s fingers. He rested his head on Teddy’s shoulder, too, and closed his eyes. Teddy smiled as he leaned his head to rub against Billy’s soft hair. A moment like this was one they could only dream of before, but now they were married, surrounded by friends and family, and could focus on a peaceful future.

They sat in silence and enjoyed the world as it went by them. 

*~*

In the very distant future, an older Nate Richards wrote on something similar to a smartboard. His sweater slid up above his waistline as he wrote a few key dates. 

Nate turned from the board to face a room full of middle-grade children of various species. While he still lived on Earth, things naturally changed as more alien species came into contact with the planet. The Asgardians and Skrulls were only the first of many species that would build a home on Earth and help rebuild the planet into something far more utopian.

And as life spread onto other planets in the Sol Solar System along with orbiting colonies, things became increasingly beautiful. This future was one that Nate could only dream of as he spent years fearing the day he would become Kang the Conqueror. Now, he was just Nate, the school teacher. 

“Alright, class,” said Nate. “Today, we’re going to start covering some key dates in the twenty-first century. The next week, we’ll cover the twenty-second century all the way to the twenty-fifth when the Reunification begins.”

His students came from all across the universe as they were not just humans. Some were Inhumans, Asgardians, Skrulls, Kree, Shi’ar, Centaurians, Rajaks, and Xandarians, amongst many others.

Groans escaped the students as they prepared themselves for a lengthy history lesson. 

Nate chuckled. He turned back around as he circled the first date. “Alright, so when the twenty-first century began, a series of terrorist attacks would create a period of global hysteria that would cover the first few decades of the century. Only when the knowledge of alien species from other worlds, starting with the Asgardians followed by the Chitauri and Ӓlfeneel, did humanity change its ways. However, this is not the first time aliens visited Earth. The Asgardians, for example, first appeared at least a thousand years prior. There were also visitors from the old Kree and Skrull Empires.”

“There would be a brief period of anti-alien sentiment, especially following the invasion of the Mad Titan, Thanos, when he collected the Infinity Stones to initiate what is called ‘The Snap’.” 

“Questions so far?” Nate turned around to find his students appeared really still. Some were mid-yawn, while others attempted to take notes.

Their stillness worried Nate as he feared that something or someone damaged the fabric of time once more, or Kang decided to target him once more.

When Nate heard the click of footsteps, he grabbed his wristband and nearly activated his armor only to feel a familiar presence.

Emerging from thin air, an ethereal-looking figure stepped into the classroom. The figure wrapped itself in golden light that slowly altered its appearance to take the form of a man dressed in a scarlet suit that Nate had no trouble recognizing. 

“Billy?” whispered Nate.

A smile appeared. “Yes, and no. I simply go by Demiurge now.”

Nate gasped. He started to smile, though, as he carefully approached Billy, partly out of fear of getting accidentally vaporized. “Demiurge. So that’s what happened. The historical record said you vanished after Teddy died. Everyone assumed you died too since it was never recorded that you are the Demiurge.”

“I purposely kept that a mystery to protect us,” said Billy. “Unifying the Kree and Skrulls was a big enough hurdle, we didn’t need the non-mystical realm to know the truth of my powers.”

“What of Teddy and the others?” asked Nate. “Did you take their souls with you when you entered true godhood?”

Billy shrugged. “Yes and no. I allowed William Maximoff to die with Teddy. He was all that remained of my old life since everyone else already passed away. As for our children, and their children, I wanted them to live on without the burden. But as Thor advised me, I kept the humanity and the memories of them with me even as I shed my mortal body. They’re all with me, at least part of them are, it’s just in a more incomprehensible way. Just like you’re with me too.”

Nate gulped. “Is this the part where you say I’m going to die now?”

Billy chuckled. “No, Nate, you still have a long life ahead of you. It’s different for me since I live on a different plane of existence. So while you live now, the older you that died is already with me.”

“Sounds complicated.”

“Maybe so.” Billy placed a hand on Nate’s face. “I’m glad you’re doing well.”

Nate smiled as he touched Billy’s hand. While this moment was far more intimate than any he shared with Billy when they were both young, it was one that didn’t bother him. After all, he was in the presence of a true god. Billy’s presence brought a feeling of true peace to Nate’s soul, unlike any he felt except for the day that Billy severed the connection to Kang.

“I didn’t want to let you down,” said Nate. “You granted me my freedom from Kang, so I wanted to make the most of it.” He looked out to his students. “This is me doing the most. Even though my students find me pretty annoying, and that’s not including my superhero work too.”

“So long as you’re happy, that is all that matters to me.” Billy pulled his hand back and started to step away as his body slowly returned to its golden form of energy. “Continue to be well, Nate. Until we meet again on our reunion day.”

“Until then.” Nate waved Billy farewell as Billy faded from this plane of existence once more. A single tear trickled down his face that he brushed away before time could resume its normal flow. “Goodbye, my friend.”

Nate regained his composure and faced his class as everything returned to normal. He smiled as he decided to redirect his lesson plan for today.

“Since we’re on the subject of the rise of extraterrestrial life on Earth, how about I tell you the story of Earth’s Mightiest Heroes.”

“Do we really have to hear about the Avengers, Mr. Richards?”

Nate smirked. “This isn’t about the Avengers, at least not entirely. This is about a lesser-known team of Avengers made up of younger heroes looking to make a difference. They were only teenagers when they started, but they grew to become the heroes that Earth needed in its most desperate moments.”

“This is the story of the Young Avengers.”


End file.
